Advanced AutoCAD® 2009

Advanced AutoCAD® 2009 The Academic Solution

Sina Sepehri

Download free chapters at www.vesdesign.com/download.html

ii Copyright © 2009

VESD, Inc. The content of this book is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be constructed as a commitment by VESD, Inc. VESD, Inc. assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this book and in no event shall be liable to anyone for, special, collateral, incidental, or consequential damage in connection with or arising out of purchase or use of these materials. Except for as permitted by such license, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of VESD, Inc. Trademarks All brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Screen Captures contained in this book are used with permission from AutoDesk. AutoCAD and Autodesk are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. in the U.S.A and certain other countries.

Art/Cover Design: Sina Sepehri

Special thanks to my former students Chris Conover and Jon Winner for their time and dedication.

ISBN: 978-1-61539-928-4

Introduction Since its infancy, just a decade ago, the emerging field of digital design has revolutionized the thought process of designers and allowed teams of talented individuals to collaborate faster and with far more precision than ever before. Using the Internet, seamlessly across the U.S. and the Globe, oceans of new talent are being incorporated into production. The emerging technology of Computer-Aided-Drafting & Design has offered both twoand three-dimensional modelers new ways of thinking and has clearly challenged the traditional minds, requiring them to utilize new and digital tools to bring ideas to reality. Today with its design-centric mindset, AutoCAD is offering designers, drafters, engineers, architects, interior designers and students tools that allow for speed, precision, consistency and legibility, all in a collaborative environment. With over 4 million users around the world, the leading drafting software has set the tone for CAD standards, giving the well trained users mobility and flexibility. Advanced AutoCAD® 2009: The Academic Solution is a set of step-by-step AutoCAD tutorials designed specifically for academia. This book is a continuation of Introduction to AutoCAD 2009(or 08), The Academic Solution. Whether they are used as a standalone or with other standard AutoCAD textbooks, you will find these advanced tutorials to be well-structured, informative, and easy to follow. In order to maximize your success, it is best to follow the procedure step by step and not skip any instructions. It is also recommended to have the Introduction to AutoCAD 2009(or 08) The Academic Solution textbook available for reference purposes. The Text consists of 14 chapters. Every chapter corresponds to and is equivalent to a week of instructions and assignments for the advanced CAD course. Some chapters group two distinct topics together to accommodate for a week of instructions. For a recommended approach to progressing through the text, refer to the flowchart on the next page or consult with your instructor. The book is best followed with all assignments accomplished using the same computer and/or network. As you reach the end of the book, you should feel confident in your knowledge of the software as you are considered to be an advanced user. Keep in mind that practice is crucial for retaining the knowledge, making you an efficient AutoCAD user.

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Table of Contents

Terminology .................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1 ...........................................................................................................1 Folders ...................................................................................................................3 Creating Folders.......................................................................................................... 4 Renaming Folders ....................................................................................................... 5

Subject Folders .....................................................................................................6 Interface ................................................................................................................8 Workspaces ...........................................................................................................9 2D Drafting & Annotation ........................................................................................ 10 AutoCAD Classic...................................................................................................... 11

Ribbon .................................................................................................................14 Tabs........................................................................................................................... 14 Panels ........................................................................................................................ 15 Minimize/Maximize.................................................................................................. 16 Open/Close................................................................................................................ 17

Command Line window.....................................................................................18 Open.......................................................................................................................... 18 Close ......................................................................................................................... 18

Tool Palettes Window ........................................................................................19 DesignCenter.......................................................................................................21 Clean Screen .......................................................................................................22 Status Bar............................................................................................................24 Create a Template (Model Space).....................................................................26 Create a Template (Paper Space) .....................................................................28 Creating a Symbol Library ...............................................................................31 Office Layout ......................................................................................................45 Using a Symbol library ......................................................................................47 Redefining Blocks ...............................................................................................52 Create Layout from Template...........................................................................58 Assignment 1.......................................................................................................61

Chapter 2 .........................................................................................................63 Defining Attributes.............................................................................................65 Attribute Modes ........................................................................................................ 65 Attribute Definition................................................................................................... 67 Copy Attributes ......................................................................................................... 71 Edit Attribute ............................................................................................................ 71

ii Inserting Attributed Blocks ...............................................................................82 Editing Attributes...............................................................................................85 Edit Attribute ............................................................................................................ 85 Block Attribute Manager .......................................................................................... 86 Edit multiple Block Attributes (Properties Method) ................................................. 87 Edit multiple Block Attributes (Synchronize Method) ............................................. 89

Attribute Extraction...........................................................................................92 Extract Attributes (Excel Spreadsheet Method)........................................................ 92

Attribute Visibility ...........................................................................................100 Visibility Mode ....................................................................................................... 100

Assignment 2.....................................................................................................101

Chapter 3 .......................................................................................................103 Polyline ..............................................................................................................105 Create a Polyline ..................................................................................................... 105 Edit a Polyline......................................................................................................... 106 Close a Polyline ...................................................................................................... 106 Open a Polyline....................................................................................................... 106 Adjust Polyline Width............................................................................................. 106 Undo Polyline edit .................................................................................................. 107 Edit Polyline Vertices ............................................................................................. 107 Move Polyline Vertices........................................................................................... 107

Spline a Polyline................................................................................................109 Spline ...................................................................................................................... 109 Decurve ................................................................................................................... 109 Fit ............................................................................................................................ 109 Join Polyline............................................................................................................ 110 Polyline Linetype .................................................................................................... 111 Spline Frame ........................................................................................................... 112 Spline multiple ........................................................................................................ 115 Fuzz distance........................................................................................................... 116

Spline .................................................................................................................117 Create a Spline ........................................................................................................ 117 Close Spline ............................................................................................................ 117 Edit Spline............................................................................................................... 117 Move Vertex ........................................................................................................... 118 Spline Frame ........................................................................................................... 118

Converting Objects to Polylines ......................................................................119 Fillet polyline .......................................................................................................... 120

Area ...................................................................................................................122 Area of a Closed Polyline ....................................................................................... 122 Sum and Difference ................................................................................................ 122

Assignment 3.....................................................................................................123

Chapter 4 .......................................................................................................127 Digitizing a Map ...............................................................................................129 Raster Image Reference .......................................................................................... 130 Aligned.................................................................................................................... 132 Image Adjust ........................................................................................................... 133

iii Pline tracing ............................................................................................................ 135

Assignment 4.....................................................................................................141

Chapter 5 .......................................................................................................143 External References .........................................................................................145 Attach an Xref ..................................................................................................148 Attach a Drawing .................................................................................................... 148 External References Palette..................................................................................... 148 Unload..................................................................................................................... 152 Reload ..................................................................................................................... 153 Xclip........................................................................................................................ 165 Bind......................................................................................................................... 168

Assignment 5.....................................................................................................171

Chapter 6 .......................................................................................................173 World Coordinate System ...............................................................................175 Coordinate Points .............................................................................................179 Elevations ..........................................................................................................180 Viewing Objects in 3D......................................................................................183 View Point .........................................................................................................184 3D Orbit ............................................................................................................186 Views..................................................................................................................190 User Coordinate System (UCS).......................................................................193 World Coordinate System ....................................................................................... 193 User Coordinate System.......................................................................................... 193 Move UCS .............................................................................................................. 196 Origin ...................................................................................................................... 196 Save a UCS ............................................................................................................. 197 3 Point UCS ............................................................................................................ 198

Assignment 6.....................................................................................................207 Assignment 6B

3D Topography ...................................................................216

View Point .............................................................................................................. 216

Chapter 7 .......................................................................................................221 Customizing the User Interface.......................................................................223 Workspaces .......................................................................................................228 Workspace Toolbar ................................................................................................. 229 Create a Workspace ................................................................................................ 230 Create a Toolbar...................................................................................................... 233

Macros ...............................................................................................................237 Write a Macro ......................................................................................................... 240 Create a Button ....................................................................................................... 241

Assignment 7.....................................................................................................257

Chapter 8 .......................................................................................................259

iv Dynamic Blocks ................................................................................................261 Block Editor ............................................................................................................ 265 Block Authoring palette .......................................................................................... 265 Rotation Parameter.................................................................................................. 265 Actions Tab............................................................................................................. 267 Rotate Action .......................................................................................................... 267 Save Block Definition ............................................................................................. 268 Parameters Tab........................................................................................................ 271 Linear Parameters ................................................................................................... 272 Stretch Action ......................................................................................................... 274

Data Exchange Format ....................................................................................278 Create a DXF file .................................................................................................... 278 Import a DXF file.................................................................................................... 279

Assignment 8.....................................................................................................281

Chapter 9 .......................................................................................................283 Slide Show and Scripts.....................................................................................285 Make Slides............................................................................................................. 286 View Slides ............................................................................................................. 290

Scripts................................................................................................................291 Notepad ................................................................................................................... 293 Create a Script......................................................................................................... 294 Save a Script ........................................................................................................... 295 Run your Script ....................................................................................................... 296

AutoCAD and the Internet ..............................................................................299 URL ........................................................................................................................ 299 Inetlocation ............................................................................................................. 300 Web Toolbar ........................................................................................................... 300

Hyperlink ..........................................................................................................301 Text and File Hyperlink .......................................................................................... 302 Geometry and File Hyperlink.................................................................................. 303 Text and Website Hyperlink ................................................................................... 304 Remove a Hyperlink ............................................................................................... 305

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)...........................................................................306 Add an FTP Location.............................................................................................. 306

DWF...................................................................................................................309 Publish .................................................................................................................... 309 Add Sheets .............................................................................................................. 310 Plot Stamp ............................................................................................................... 313

Assignment 9.....................................................................................................315

Chapter 10 .....................................................................................................317 Isometric Projection .........................................................................................319 Isoplanes............................................................................................................321 Isometric Circles ..................................................................................................... 325 Fillets ...................................................................................................................... 326

Tangents ............................................................................................................329 Isometric Text Styles ........................................................................................333

v style ......................................................................................................................... 334

Dimensioning ....................................................................................................336 Dimension Style...................................................................................................... 336 Oblique.................................................................................................................... 338 Rotate dimension .................................................................................................... 339

Assignment 10...................................................................................................341

Chapter 11 .....................................................................................................343 Creating a Sheet Set .........................................................................................345 Sheet Set Manager .................................................................................................. 345 New Sheet Set ......................................................................................................... 345

Creating Subsets ...............................................................................................350 Creating Sheets from an Example ..................................................................352 Create Cross Referenced Sheets.............................................................................. 356 Example Sheet Set .................................................................................................. 356 Removing Subsets................................................................................................... 358 Creating a New Sheet.............................................................................................. 359 Model Views ........................................................................................................... 360 Add a new location ................................................................................................. 360 Drag and Drop views .............................................................................................. 361 View Scaling ........................................................................................................... 362 View Labels ............................................................................................................ 362 Sheet View .............................................................................................................. 364 Rename and Renumber ........................................................................................... 365

Placing Callout Blocks .....................................................................................367 Callout Block Hyperlink ......................................................................................... 370

Archive ..............................................................................................................372 Zip File.................................................................................................................... 373 Self-extracting executable....................................................................................... 374 Password Protection................................................................................................ 375

Assignment 11...................................................................................................377

Chapter 12 .....................................................................................................379 Database Connectivity .....................................................................................381 Create a Database.................................................................................................... 383 Microsoft Access .................................................................................................... 383

Connecting and Configuring a Database. ......................................................392 DBconnect............................................................................................................... 392

Linking Objects to the Database.....................................................................398 Link Template ......................................................................................................... 398 Label Template ....................................................................................................... 405 Create Attached Labels ........................................................................................... 406 Data View and Query Options ................................................................................ 407 Delete Attached Labels ........................................................................................... 408 Create Freestanding Labels ..................................................................................... 411

Quick Query......................................................................................................414 Assignment 12...................................................................................................417

Chapter 13 .....................................................................................................419

vi Adding Express Tools ......................................................................................421 Adding Express toolbars ......................................................................................... 421

Move/Copy/Rotate............................................................................................424 Move/Copy/Rotate............................................................................................425 Super Hatch ......................................................................................................427 Multiple Copy ...................................................................................................430 Fast Select..........................................................................................................431 Text Fit ..............................................................................................................432 Text Mask..........................................................................................................433 Text Explode .....................................................................................................434 Arc-Aligned Text ..............................................................................................435 Copy Nested Objects. .......................................................................................437 Assignment 13...................................................................................................441

Chapter 14 .....................................................................................................445 AutoLISP...........................................................................................................447 Arithmetic Operations............................................................................................. 447

Real versus Integer numbers...........................................................................449 Use AutoLISP in a Command................................................................................. 449 Store and use Variables........................................................................................... 450 Run Commands in AutoLISP.................................................................................. 451 Store coordinates..................................................................................................... 452 Get Functions .......................................................................................................... 455 Prompts in AutoLISP .............................................................................................. 456 Writing a LISP program in Notepad ....................................................................... 459

Executing a LISP routine.................................................................................462 Assignment 14..................................................................................................473

Appendix A ....................................................................................................475 Interface ............................................................................................................476 Workspaces .......................................................................................................477 2D Drafting & Annotation ...................................................................................... 478 AutoCAD Classic.................................................................................................... 479

Ribbon ...............................................................................................................482 Tabs......................................................................................................................... 482 Panels ...................................................................................................................... 483 Minimize/Maximize................................................................................................ 484 Open/Close.............................................................................................................. 485

Command Line window...................................................................................486 DesignCenter.....................................................................................................489 Clean Screen .....................................................................................................490 Toolbars.............................................................................................................492 Load a Toolbar........................................................................................................ 492

vii Close a Toolbar ....................................................................................................... 493 Dock a Toolbar ....................................................................................................... 494

Flyouts ...............................................................................................................495 Display Options.................................................................................................496 Set Colors................................................................................................................ 496 Crosshair Size ......................................................................................................... 498

Profiles...............................................................................................................500 Add a profile to the List .......................................................................................... 501 Load a default profile .............................................................................................. 501

Lock/Unlock Toolbars......................................................................................503 Lock/Unlock a Toolbar ........................................................................................... 503

Communication Center....................................................................................505 Status Bar..........................................................................................................507 Line ....................................................................................................................510 Pick Start and End points ........................................................................................ 510 Undo........................................................................................................................ 512 Close ....................................................................................................................... 512

Undo, Redo........................................................................................................513 Erase (Selection Methods) ...............................................................................514 Windowing.............................................................................................................. 514 Crossing .................................................................................................................. 515 Removing................................................................................................................ 516 Fencing.................................................................................................................... 517

Shortcut Menu ..................................................................................................518 Help....................................................................................................................520 Help......................................................................................................................... 520 New Features Workshop ......................................................................................... 522

Aliases and Hot Keys........................................................................................523

Appendix B Aliases .......................................................................................525 Appendix C Hot Keys and Function Keys...................................................529 Index ..............................................................................................................531

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Terminology Used in This Book Bold – A word in bold letters signifies that it is an AutoCAD specific term or that it is a very specific item (i.e., a specific color, Object, or name). Terminology Bold Italics – A number that is displayed in both bold and italic signifies that it is to be entered by means of the keyboard. By doing the following: – A sentence ending with the term "by doing the following:" signifies that you are about to be given step-by-step, bulleted instructions as to how to perform a specific operation for the first time. Command: - The Command Prompt is the location where you instruct AutoCAD to perform a specific task. For example, typing in "Erase" at the Command Prompt and then pressing the Enter key, instructs AutoCAD to erase one or a group of Objects. Also note that in AutoCAD, with very few exceptions, the cursor is always automatically positioned at the Command Prompt. Terminology

Pointer device – Most computers are configured for a mouse, however, you may be using a pen tablet, a digitizer or any other device which may serve the same function. Click – Refers to picking the "left" Pointer Button of the mouse. If the right pointer button is to be selected, you will be specifically instructed to right-click. Double-click – Indicates clicking a pointer button on your mouse twice without pausing or hesitating between clicks. Drag – Refers to pressing down the left pointer button while moving/dragging the mouse to a new location and then releasing the button. ENTER – Refers to pressing the Enter key on the keyboard. As you will see, any keyboard entry at the Command Prompt will require an ENTER. However in the later Chapters, at times it may be expected of you to ENTER after a Command entry without specific instructions. Note: – A note generally furnishes you with information and explains concepts but does not require you to take any action. Pick – Refers to left clicking within the Drawing space (i.e., Pick Circle C1, refers to left clicking on Circle C1.) The terms Pick and Select are interchangeable. Select – Refers to picking a menu item/tool or a pre-existing Object by clicking on it using the mouse (i.e., "Select Erase" means that you should select the Erase Icon/tool as opposed to typing the Command Erase).

x Toggle – Refers to a setting that has a switch mode (i.e., On, Off). There are different methods of toggling: 1. Function keys. The function keys are usually located along the top of your keyboard and are identified by the letter F and a number. Each function key is assigned to a specific AutoCAD function. For instance, pressing F9 will Toggle your Snap settings to On/Off. 2. Control Keys. Control keys are another way of allowing for shortcuts. Control keys are used by holding the CTRL key, and then pressing another key. For instance, CTRL+2 will toggle the DesignCenter. 3. Toggle switches. Many AutoCAD settings can also be Toggled from dialog boxes as shown below. As an example, as the Endpoint OSnap mode Toggle is selected, a check mark appears and the setting is Toggled to on as shown below.

4. Toggle Buttons. Buttons located in the Status Line are another way of toggling certain settings. There are eight buttons located in the Status Line that can be Toggled by clicking on the buttons with the pick button. When the button appears depressed it is On, otherwise it is Off. For instance, in the first image shown below Snap is Toggled to the off position. The second image shows Snap Toggled On. These buttons will be covered in more detail later.

User-Specified – This term is used when requesting a non-specific entry where the exact size or location for Drawing an Object (or a group of Objects) is flexible, i.e., "Create a Circle in a User-specified location as shown below" means that you can approximate the size and location similar to a given diagram.

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Other Terminology and Information CAD: A general term meaning Computer Aided Drafting or sometimes Computer Aided Design. This term is not specific to AutoCAD. CADD: A general term meaning Computer Aided Design and Drafting. CAD Station: A computer station that has CAD software installed (in this case AutoCAD) and preferably has other peripherals such as a plotter and sometimes a digitizer. The advantages of using a CAD station over manual drafting are basically speed, repeatability, accuracy, and easy editing. AutoCAD: With over 4 million users, this AutoDesk® product is currently the most widely used CAD software in the industry. Commercial Version: This is the version of the CAD program that is purchased for professional design and drafting and is for commercial use. In other words, you may use the license for profit. Educational Version: This version is available to students who are enrolled in three or more credits at a degree-granting educational institution or those who are enrolled at a nine-month certificate-granting program. The Student Version is also available to registered K-12 students who can confirm current enrollment. Although the Educational software has the same functionality as the commercial, it can not be used for the purpose of profit. Purchasing AutoDesk products: AutoDesk applications such as AutoCAD®, Inventor®, Rivet®, 3ds MAX®, Civil 3D® and many others can be purchased from AutoDesk directly or through Authorized AutoDesk Resellers around the country. For more information, you can go to the AutoDesk estore at http://estore.autodesk.com where you can also locate resellers near you. You can also check with your school's bookstore.

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Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Creating a Template Creating a Symbol Library Office Layout Making Blocks Redefining Blocks Creating Layout (Paper /Model Space)

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Chapter One

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Folders In this section, you will create all the necessary Folders for your assignments. As you already know, Folders are where files, such as Drawings, are saved. Many teaching institutions use the common practice of automatically creating the student folders using students' names and/or ID numbers. These student folders are often placed on a network drive such as F:, H:, or T:, as opposed to the Local Disk (C:). An example of a folder and its associated path is K:\Engineering_Technologies\Smith_David_02, where a common folder such as David_Smith_02 is created on the K: Drive under the Engineering_Technologies folder as shown below.

On the following page, you will be given exact instructions on how to create your folder. This example will have you create your folder inside the Documents folder. However, it is best to consult with your instructor for the exact location that your folder is to be created. Also note that your AutoCAD 2009 software may be running on Microsoft® Windows Vista® or Windows XP®. Therefore as you are creating your Folders, you may find that your Windows interface may look slightly different than that shown here. Here Vista is being used. Many teaching institutions install Computer Security software in their computer labs. This is to improve system stability, protect against viruses, avoid Internet downloads, etc. In many cases, this type of software does not allow for your AutoCAD Drawing files to reside/stay on certain folders of the Local Disk (C:). It is for this reason (and more) that you should save your files to a specific Drive and/or Folder as designated by your Instructor.

4 The instructions below will help you in creating your Main folder (from this point on referred to as My_CAD_Folder). This exercise will create your folder in the Documents folder of the Local Disk (C:). However, as mentioned before, you may already have a main folder assigned to you so that you only have to create your subject folders inside the main folder. Caution: If you have a folder assigned to you already, skip to page 6 to create the subject folders. Consult with your instructor as necessary. 1. Create your main Folder by doing the following: Creating Folders • From the Microsoft® Windows Interface, from the lower left corner of the screen, select the Start button and then select Documents as shown below.

Chapter One

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•

From the Menu Bar, select File, then New, then Folder as shown below. In the event that you do not see the Menu Bar on your screen, you can display it by selecting the Organize drop-down, select Layout and finally Menu Bar from the list. {A New Folder appears. It is highlighted, and the cursor is located to the right of the name. Since the name is already highlighted, you don't need to back space.}

•

Type in the new name: My_CAD_Folder and then ENTER.

•

Double-click on the folder My_CAD_Folder folder. {You are inside the folder. The name appears at the Address field, and it is obviously empty.}

•

Select the Back button. {It will take you "back" out of the folder and to the Documents folder.}

Renaming Folders • Right-click on the My_CAD_Folder folder and select Rename. {The name is highlighted.} •

Type in your last name followed by your first name, i.e., Smith_David

•

ENTER. {The folder is renamed to your name.}

Note: From this point on, for the sake of consistency, the book will refer to your main folder as your My_CAD_Folder.

6

Subject Folders Once you have your My_CAD_Folder folder such as K:\Engineering_ Technologies\Smith_David_02, you need to create 18 folders that fall inside your main folder. The 18 folders include 16 topics and two more folders for your symbol library and Templates. Do not skip the instructions below as these folders are needed to continue through the tutorials. •

Double-click on your My_CAD_Folder {Your My_CAD_Folder window appears and you are placed inside your folder.}

•

Select File, New, and then Folder again. As the highlighted New Folder appears, type in the name Review_Material and then ENTER. {The new Folder is created.}

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7

Repeat this process to create the remaining 17 folders. Since this is a repetitive process, you may use the key stroke sequence Alt+ F, then W, and then F to create each folder. Also note that it is good practice to use the underscore "_" symbol when naming your folders instead of using blank spaces. Name these folders:

Symbols, Templates, Attributes, Polylines_and_Splines, Digitizing, External_References, Three_Dimensions, Customization, Dynamic_Blocks, Data_Exchange, Slideshow, Internet, Isometric, Sheet_Sets, DataBase, Express_Tools, and AutoLISP. •

The image below displays the list of folders in alphabetical order.

•

Close the above window as you are about to launch AutoCAD.

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The AutoCAD Interface 1. Launch AutoCAD by doing the following: Interface • From the Microsoft® Windows Interface, select the Start button as shown below.

•

Select the AutoCAD 2009 icon as shown below. {AutoCAD is launched}

Note: AutoCAD can also be launched from the Desktop by double clicking on the shortcut.

Note: Your AutoCAD® 2009 software may be running on the Microsoft® Windows® VistaTM or the Windows XP® operating system. Although the above image is captured using Windows Vista, the Windows XP interface is also very similar. Consult with your Instructor.

Chapter One

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Workspaces Once you are inside AutoCAD, it is common practice to select the proper Workspace that is suitable to your working environment. AutoCAD 2009 allows for three distinct workspaces. A Workspace is defined as a set of tools that are grouped and organized so that you can work in a custom and task-oriented environment. In the steps below, you will view the 2D Drafting & Annotation workspace and finally move forward using the AutoCAD Classic workspace. In chapter 7, you will learn to create your own Workspace to further customize your interface. Workspaces 1. Select a Workspace by doing the following: •

In the upper left corner of the screen, select the Menu Browser icon as shown below.

•

As the Menu list appears, select Tools, and then select Workspaces.

10

•

Regardless of your current Workspace, select the 2D Drafting & Annotation workspace as shown below.

2D Drafting & Annotation Note: In the 2D Drafting & Annotation workspace shown below, by default, your buttons also known as Tools, are grouped inside several Panels and these Panels are positioned inside a Ribbon shown by the diagram below. Keep in mind that as you start AutoCAD, the Toolbars, Menus, and Panels that are displayed on the screen may or may not be those of the default settings, since with little effort they can be loaded and closed. Therefore if your screen looks slightly different than the image shown below, it is Ok for now.

Chapter One

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•

Select the Menu Browser icon, Tools and then Workspaces.

•

From the list of Workspace, select the AutoCAD Classic workspace as shown below. {The AutoCAD Classic workspace appears on the screen}

AutoCAD Classic Note: Switching between Workspaces is also possible by selecting the Workspace Switching button located in the lower portion of the screen as shown below.

12 Note: The AutoCAD Classic default interface is composed of nine distinct areas as shown below. In the event that the Menu Bar (as indicated in the image below) is missing from the screen, page 13 will give you specific instructions on how to place it on to the screen. As you begin AutoCAD, the Toolbars and Menus that are displayed on the screen may or may not be those of the default settings, since with little effort they can be loaded or closed. As you will see in the Toolbars exercise, since these are "Floating" toolbars, you may Undock (Float) or Dock them as you please.

Chapter One

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13

In the event that you have any other toolbars such as AutoDesk Impression or the Tool Pallets placed on the screen, you may close them by selecting the [X] in the upper right corner of that particular window as shown below.

Note: By default, AutoCAD 2009 interface no longer displays the Menu Bar on the screen as shown by the image below. In the event that the Menu Bar is missing from your screen, it is important to retrieve it as the rest of these tutorials depend on it. Please follow the instructions below so that your screen displays the Menu Bar similar to the image displayed at the bottom of this page.

2. Display the Menu Bar on to the screen by doing the following: •

Press the Escape key on the keyboard to escape any previous command that may be running. {The cursor is placed at the command line and AutoCAD is ready for your instructions}

•

Type menubar and then press the Enter key.

•

When you are asked to enter a new value for the MENUBAR , type 1 and then press the Enter key. {The Menu Bar is placed on the screen as shown below}

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Ribbon The Ribbon Palette allows for a central location where you can locate most of the Tools. These Tools are grouped using several Panels. 1. Toggle the Ribbon Palette by doing the following:

•

From the Menu Bar, select Tools, Palettes and then Ribbon as shown below.

Tabs As the Ribbon Palette is placed on the screen, you can see that by default, it is composed of 6 tabs. They are Home, Blocks & References, Annotate, Tools, View, and Output. Each of these tabs has several Panels that could be easily customized. As an example, when the Home tab is selected, you can see that by default, it has the Draw, Modify, Layers, Annotation, Block, Properties, and the Utilities Panels.

•

In the Draw Panel (or any of the Panels), right-click the mouse in the background area as shown below. {Menu appears}

Chapter One

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•

Make sure that the Show Panel Titles is checked as shown below.

•

From the drop-down list, select the Tabs item and make sure that all 6 tabs (Home, Blocks & References, Annotate, Tools, View and Output) are checked as shown below.

•

Select Panels from the list and make sure that all 7 Panels (Draw, Modify, Layers, Annotation, Block, Properties, and Utilities) are checked as shown below.

•

Select the mouse anywhere within the screen area. {The Ribbon menu is closed.}

Panels

16 2. Minimize/Maximize the Ribbon by doing the following. Minimize/Maximize • To the right of the Output tab, select the Minimize to Panel Titles dropdown as shown below.

•

Notice that only the Panel Titles of each Tab within the Ribbon are showing as shown below. Moving the mouse onto a Panel name (such as the Draw Panel) of the Home Tab, will momentarily expand the Panel. Moving the mouse away from the Panel will automatically close it.

•

From the Ribbon, select the Minimize to Tabs drop-down as shown below.

•

Notice that only the Tabs are showing within the Ribbon.

•

From the Ribbon, select the Show Full Ribbon drop-down as shown below.

•

The Full Ribbon appears on the screen as shown below.

Chapter One

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•

From the Menu Bar, select Tools, Palettes and then Ribbon.

•

The Ribbon is removed from the screen and you are back to the default look of the AutoCAD Classic Workspace as shown below.

Open/Close

Note: Although this book has introduced the Ribbon and its arrangement, to cover AutoCAD functionality, it will move forward using the AutoCAD Classic Workspace and will use Toolbars (as opposed to the buttons of the Ribbon, Panels, and its Tools). It is recommended that AutoCAD users fully implement the Ribbon starting with AutoCAD 2010.

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Command Line window For the purpose of this book, it is critical that the Command Line window (also referred to as the Command Prompt window (shown on page 12) is always present on the screen as it is needed for almost every step of these tutorials. In the event that you accidentally close the Command Line window or that you find it to be missing from the screen, you need to bring it back. To Toggle/bring back the Command Line window, from the Menu Bar, select Tools, then from the drop-down list, select Command Line as shown below.

In the event that you accidentally attempt to close the Command Line window, AutoCAD will display a warning-like window informing you of your intention. In this case, again it is important to select the No option (as shown below) to keep the Command Line window present on the screen. Open Close

Chapter One

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Tool Palettes Window As you have noticed from the above exercise, the Tool Palettes Window as shown below is one of the items that from time to time may appear on the screen. Although the Tool Palette Window will be discussed in greater depth later, it is important to know how to Open and Close it. The steps are as follows:

20 1. Toggle the Tool Palettes Window by doing the following: •

From the Menu Bar, select Tools, Palettes and then Tool Palettes as shown below.

•

Repeat as necessary to toggle On. {Tool Palettes Window will appear somewhere on screen.}

•

Repeat the process to toggle off the Tool Palettes window.

Chapter One

21

DesignCenter As the name indicates, the DesignCenter as shown below allows for a designcentric working environment. This is where Drawings and different components of Drawings (discussed later) can be shared from one Drawing to another or even among designers at remote locations. For the sake of practice, you will next toggle The DesignCenter palette a few times and finally set it to the off position.

1. Toggle the DesignCenter by doing the following: •

From the Menu Bar, select Tools, Palettes and then DesignCenter.

•

Toggle the DesignCenter On and Off several times and finally toggle it Off.

22

Clean Screen By using the Clean Screen option, all of the toolbars are cleared from the screen as shown below. As you surely agree, working with no toolbars on the screen and only typing aliases (short entry for Commands) is the technique of an advanced user. In the event that you are to use the Clean Screen mode, you will be specifically instructed to do so. Here you will be given specific instructions on how to toggle the Clean Screen mode.

Chapter One

23

1) Toggle the Clean Screen option by doing the following: •

From the Menu Bar, select View and then Clean Screen as shown below.

•

Toggle the Clean Screen option, as you did above, to On and Off a few times and finally turn this option Off so that the toolbars are displayed again.

24

Status Bar 1) In the Status Bar located in the lower portion of the screen, move the mouse onto the Snap Mode icon as shown below.

•

Right-click on the Snap Mode button. {Shortcut Menu appears}

•

From the list, make sure that the Use Icons item is toggled to On as shown below.

•

Again from the shortcut menu list, select Display.

•

Make sure that Snap, Grid, Ortho, Polar, OSnap, OTrack, Dynamic UCS, Dynamic Input, and Lineweight toggle buttons are all set to On.

Chapter One

25

Note: From left to right, the Status Bar icons read Snap Mode, Grid Display, Ortho Mode, Polar Tracking, Object Snap, Object Snap Tracking, Allow/Disallow Dynamic UCS, Dynamic Input, Show/Hide Dynamic UCS. From this point on, the book will use the short terms Snap, Grid, Ortho, Polar, OSnap, Otrack, Ducs, Dyn, and LWT when referring to these buttons.

2) Exit AutoCAD. Do not Save changes to the drawing.

26

Create a Template (Model Space) In Chapter 3 of Volume I, you learned to create an A size Template for use in Model Space. The procedure below repeats the exercise of creating a Template to be used in this book. 1. Create a Template by doing the following: •

Launch AutoCAD to begin a new blank Drawing. In the event that you are asked to choose a Workspace, select AutoCAD Classic and then OK.

•

Make sure that in the Status Bar, your Snap, Grid, Ortho, Polar, Osnap, Otrack, Ducs, Dyn, are set to Off.

•

Set Units to Decimal with a Precision of two decimal places 0.00. Set the Angle Decimal Degrees Precision to one decimal place 0.0.

•

Set Limits to a lower left corner of 0,0 and an upper right corner of 9,6.

•

Set Grid to 0.5 .

•

Set Snap to 0.25 .

•

Zoom All.

•

Using the Rectangle tool, create a 9 x 6 rectangle with the lower left corner located at 0,0 and the other corner at 9.0,6.0 .

Chapter One

27

•

Select the Save As button. {The Save Drawing As window appears.}

•

In the File of type drop-down, select AutoCAD Drawing Template (*.dwt) as shown below.

•

In the File name text field, name the file My Template Model Space A size_ _ _ where the three blanks are your initials.

•

In the Save in drop-down, the folder is set to the Template folder of AutoCAD. Use the drop-down to set it to your Templates folder located inside your My_CAD_Folder.

•

Select the Save button. {The Template Description dialog box appears.}

•

Leave the description as is, and select OK.

•

From the Menu Bar, select File and then Exit AutoCAD.

Note: Keep in mind that opening a Template file by selecting File, Open and changing the File of type to *.dwt is interpreted by AutoCAD as if you plan to modify your Template rather than use it to start up a new Drawing. So in the future, unless you intend to update or modify a Template, do not use the Open option from the File Menu Bar to Open a Template file, but rather use the File, New option to begin a new Drawing file. Later in the chapter, you will also learn how to import a Template into an already existing Drawing.

28

Create a Template (Paper Space) In Chapter 12 of Volume I, you learned about Layouts and Paper Space, where you created an A size Template for use in Paper Space. The procedure below repeats that exercise of creating a Template to be used throughout this book. 1. Create a Drawing Template in Paper Space by doing the following: •

Launch AutoCAD and begin a new blank Drawing. In the event that you are asked to choose a Workspace, select AutoCAD Classic and then OK.

•

Set your Units to Decimal with Precision set to two decimal places (0.00).

•

Make sure that from the Status Line, Snap, Grid, Ortho, Polar, Osnap, Ducs, and Dyn are set to Off.

•

Create a Layer named Title block, and set it as the Current layer.

•

Click on the Layout1 Tab as shown below.

•

In the event that the Page setup Manager dialog box appears, select the Close button.

•

Notice that the image of an A size (letter size) paper is displayed on the screen and you are placed in Paper Space as indicated by the Paper Space right triangle icon as shown below.

•

Erase the default Viewport shown in the form of a rectangular object. Soon a new Viewport will be created that is more suitable to your My Template Paper Space A size_ _ _.dwt Template.

Chapter One

29

•

Create the title page having the given dimensions shown below. A good approach would be to use the Rectangle tool to create a 10 x 7.5 rectangle with the first corner located at coordinates 0.2,0.2 and the other corner located at coordinates 10.2,7.7. Then use the Explode tool to explode the rectangle and Offset the lower edge upwards by 0.40 units as shown below.

•

Make sure that the entire geometry falls within the rectangular margins as shown by the dashed line type. Move the geometry as necessary.

•

Use the Text Command to place your name, course section, lesson number, and scale in the title block as shown below. Start text at a userspecified location with a height of 0.2 units while making sure it falls within the title block similar to that shown below. Font is user-specified.

•

Make sure that Layer 0 is your Current Layer.

•

Open the Viewports toolbar and dock it on the screen. You can do this by right-clicking on any tool, and then selecting Viewports from the list of toolbars.

•

From the Viewports toolbar, select the Single Viewport tool and use the Endpoint Osnap option to create a Single Viewport with corners located at P1 and P2 of the diagram above for the two corners of the Viewport.

30 •

To toggle to Model Space, double-click within the Viewport area. {The Viewport is displayed in bold, verifying that you are in Model Space.}

•

From the Status Bar, select the Model button to switch back to Paper Space as shown below.

•

Select the Save As button. {The Save Drawing As window appears.}

•

In the File of type drop-down, select AutoCAD Drawing Template (*.dwt).

•

In the File name text field, name the file My Template Paper Space A size_ _ _ where the three blanks are your initials.

•

In the Save in drop-down, select your Main Folder, as designated by your instructor and then select Templates.

•

Select the Save button. {The Template Description dialog box appears.}

•

Leave the description as is, and select OK.

•

From the Menu Bar, select File and then Exit AutoCAD.

Chapter One

31

Creating a Symbol Library You are about to create a library of symbols as shown below by the 9 Objects. In creating these symbols, you will exercise your technique of geometric construction while keeping precision in mind. Note that the symbols you are about to create will be used throughout the textbook. To avoid lost time, save your progress frequently. Although the symbols you are creating are Architectural, the techniques you are learning can be applied to a variety of fields such as Mechanical, Industrial, Civil, etc.

1. Launch AutoCAD to begin a new blank Drawing. You will use your Paper Space Template later in the Chapter. In the event that you are asked to choose a Workspace, select AutoCAD Classic and then OK. 2. Set Units to Architectural and Precision to 1/16”. 3. Set Limits to 0',0' by 24',16' and then Zoom All. 4. Make sure that Ortho, Polar, Osnap, Otrack, Ducs, and Dyn are set to Off. 5. Use the Rectangle tool to create a rectangular border having the same corners as your limits.

32 6. Set Snap and Grid by doing the following: •

In the Status Line, right-click on the Grid Button and from the shortcut menu, select Settings.

•

As the Drafting Settings dialog box appears, set both Snap and Grid to 6".

•

Toggle both Snap and Grid to On.

•

Ensure that the Adaptive Grid setting is toggled Off as shown below.

Note: Adaptive grid allows for an automatic change in grid settings based on the current zoom factor. As an example, if you zoom in/out noticeably, the system will change to a subdivision or multiple of the current value instead of displaying the usual "grid too dense to display" warning. Although using this new option is a matter of user choice, the book will not make use of this setting. 7. SaveAs the Drawing using the name, All Symbols _ _ _ where the three blanks are your initials. Make sure that the Drawing is saved to your Symbols folder of your Main Folder.

Chapter One

33

8. Use the Rectangle tool and the following information to construct the Desk and Chair as shown below. Exact location of each symbol is user-specified; symbols will be moved and rearranged later in the instructions. •

Remember to Zoom and Pan as necessary.

•

The Desk is 5'2" x 2'6".

•

The Chair seat is an 18" square.

•

The Chair arms and back are located 1" from the chair seat and are 2" wide with user-specified length. Setting Snap to 1" will help construct the chair more efficiently.

•

Do not label the symbols.

9. Create a Computer Desk using the following instructions: •

Use the Rectangle tool to create a 62" square as shown below.

•

Use the Explode tool to explode the rectangle. {The Rectangle converts to lines L1-L4.}

•

Create Lines L5 and L6 by Offsetting L1 and L2 by 22" respectively, as shown below.

34

•

Create the Diagonal Line L7 with Endpoints located at the two opposite corners of the square desk as shown below on the left.

•

Create L8 and L9 by Offsetting L7 by 14” to both sides.

•

Create L10 with Endpoints starting at the Intersection of L6 and L8 and going to the Intersection of L5 and L9 as shown below.

•

Trim the geometry and Erase all Construction Lines (Xline) to result in the Computer Desk geometry shown below.

Note: The three symbols should appear as shown below. Do not label the symbols.

•

Remember to Save your progress frequently.

Chapter One

35

10. Create the Lavatory Sink symbol by using the following instructions: •

Create Construction Line CL1 using the horizontal option and Construction Line CL2 using the vertical option, at user-specified locations, as shown below.

•

Create a Circle with the center located at the intersection of CL1 and CL2, having a Radius of 0.5".

•

Offset the Circle to the outside by 0.5".

•

Create Ellipse E1 using the Center option and for the Center, use the intersection of CL1 and CL2. Use the given dimensions shown below.

36 •

To create CL3 and CL4, Offset the Construction Line CL2 to the right by 1.0" and again Offset CL2 to the right by 8".

•

Create Ellipse E2 with the center located at the intersection of CL1 and CL3. For the axis distance, refer to the given dimensions below.

•

Create a faucet similar to the one shown below. The exact size and dimension of the geometry are user-specified. However, faucet geometry should be symmetrical.

•

Trim the geometry as shown below and Erase all remaining Construction Lines.

11. Create a Toilet using the following instructions: •

Create a horizontal Construction Line, CL1 and a vertical Construction Line, CL2 at user-specified locations as shown on the next page.

•

Offset CL1 in both directions (Up and Down) by 9" as shown on the next page.

Chapter One

37

•

Offset CL2 to the right by 10.5" and again Offset CL2 to the right by 18.5" as shown below.

•

Create an Ellipse (Center option) at the intersection of CL1 and CL2 using the given dimensions.

•

Apply a Fillet with a Radius of 1" to the intersections of the Construction Lines to form the rectangular shape as shown below.

38

•

Offset CL1 to both sides by 4".

•

Offset CL2 to the right by 9.5" as shown below.

•

Create two Fillets with 5" radius between the ellipse and the two horizontally offset Construction Lines, as shown below.

•

Trim and Erase the geometry as necessary to result in the Toilet symbol shown below.

•

Save your All Symbols _ _ _.dwg and remain in the Drawing.

Chapter One

39

12. Create a Window symbol using the following instructions: •

Create a Rectangle with a Length of 6'5" and a Width of 6" at a userspecified location.

•

Explode the Rectangle. {The Rectangle is converted to 4 separate lines.}

•

Using the given dimensions, Offset the line L1 up by 2.5" and again Offset L1 up by 3.5". Also Offset Line L2 a total of 4 times using the given dimensions below.

•

Trim the geometry to result in the window symbol shown below.

13. Create the Cubicle symbol shown below using the given dimensions. A reasonable approach would be to start with a 17'-1" x 8'-5" rectangle at a userspecified location. Explode the rectangle and use the Trim and Offset tools as necessary.

40

14. Create the right-swing Door symbol at a user-specified location, using the given dimensions. The Center of the Arc is shown by the dot of figure below.

•

Mirror the right-swing door symbol about a vertical axis, thus creating a left-swing door symbol as shown below. The exact location of Object is user-specified.

15. Zoom All and use the Move Command to reposition the nine symbols as necessary to result in the arrangement shown below. The exact position of each symbol is user-specified. However, all symbols should fall within the designated Limits area. Do not label Objects.

16. Save the All Symbols _ _ _Drawing file and remain in the Drawing.

Chapter One

41

17. Make a Block of the Desk by doing the following: •

From the Draw toolbar, select the Make Block tool. {The Block Definition dialog box appears as shown below.}

•

For the Block name, enter Desk.

•

In the Objects area, make sure that the Retain button is toggled to On.

•

In the Objects area, select the Select Objects button.

•

Select the Desk geometry (the original rectangle) and then ENTER {The Block definition dialog box appears again.}

•

In the Base point area, select the Pick point button.

Note: Using the Retain option will make sure that the original geometry (used to create a Block symbol) is not converted to a Block and that only those inserted from this point on are actual Block symbols. This leaves the original geometry intact and editable.

42

•

For the Desk base point, select point P1 as shown below by the dot. {The Block definition dialog box appears.}

•

Select OK. {The Desk Block is created and the Block definition dialog box is closed.}

18. Use the above procedure to create the remaining eight Blocks by using the names Chair, CompDesk, Sink, Toilet, Window, Cubicle, DoorRS, and DoorLS, knowing that the base point of Blocks are given by the dots labeled as P1-P9. Note that these symbols will be addressed and utilized in later chapters.

•

Once the nine Blocks are created, they are to be tested. From the Draw toolbar, use the Insert tool to insert each Block at a user-specified location. Due to space limitation, you may put Blocks outside of your limits momentarily. In the event that any Block is in error and needs to be Redefined, if necessary, use the Explode tool to explode the symbol first and then repeat the process properly to make a Block of the symbol.

Chapter One •

43

Once all the Blocks are proven to be valid (both in geometry and base point location), erase all recently inserted Blocks while keeping the original geometry on the screen.

Note: An efficient method of having global access to a Block symbol is by means of WBlocking (writing a Block to a file). With this technique, each Block can be written to a file and then inserted into any Drawing from one central location. 19. WBlock the Desk by doing the following: •

At the Command Prompt, type W (for WBlock) and then ENTER.

•

In the Write Block dialog box, in the Source section, toggle Block as your source and use the drop-down menu to select Desk from the list of Block names.

•

In the Destination section, select the [...] button (as shown below by the pointer) and use the Save in drop-down to make sure to assign the File name and path to your Symbols folder.

•

Double-click on the Symbols folder {The Save in drop-down reads Symbols.}

•

Make sure that the File name reads Desk.dwg as shown below.

•

Select OK.

44

20. Repeat this process to WBlock the Chair, CompDesk, Sink, Toilet, Window, Cubicle, DoorRS, and DoorLS using their respective file names, while saving them to your Symbols folder. Remember that the Block names can be selected from the drop-down list.

Note: Your All Symbols _ _ _ Drawing is not an assignment. Although it will be addressed again in this chapter, plotting is not required. 21. Save and Close the All Symbols _ _ _ Drawing. 22. Exit AutoCAD.

Chapter One

45

Office Layout 1. Launch AutoCAD and begin a new blank Drawing. Make sure to be using the AutoCAD Classic Workspace. 2. Set Units to Architectural with Precision set to 1/16". 3. Set Limits to 0,0 and 84',56' and then Zoom all. 4. Create a rectangular border at the boundary of your limits. 5. To create the office layout, do the following: •

To construct the exterior wall perimeter, create a Rectangle having the dimensions of 72' x 43' with the lower left corner located at 6',6'.

•

Select Chamfer from the Modify toolbar.

•

Set both Chamfer distances to 16' and Chamfer the upper right corner of the office as shown below. {A 45 degree Chamfer is created.}

•

Offset the chamfered rectangle to the inside by 6" as shown below.

•

Explode the two Objects. {The Rectangle / Polylines convert to lines.}

46 •

Use the given dimensions and your knowledge of the Offset and Trim tools to construct the restroom area in the lower right corner of the office. Do not Dimension the Drawing.

•

Create the door and window openings using the given dimensions. Note that the Chamfered wall is at 45 degrees.

Chapter One

47

•

Zoom all.

•

Save the Drawing to your Review_Material folder as Office Plan _ _ _.dwg where the three blanks are your initials.

Note: The first time you insert a particular WBlock file into a Drawing, you need to use the Browse button to locate the file properly. Once the Block is inserted into the Drawing, it is then local to that Drawing and can be selected for insertion from the dropdown Name list of the Insert dialog box. Also note that once a Block is inserted, you can copy the Block to multiple locations using the Copy Command. Each copied Object is also a Block. Using a Symbol library 6. Insert Blocks by doing the following: •

From the Draw toolbar, select the Insert Tool.

•

As the Insert dialog box appears, select the Browse button.

48

•

Use the Look in drop-down menu to locate your My_CAD_Folder and then the Symbols folder. {All WBlock files are listed as shown below.}

•

From the Symbols folder located in your My_CAD_Folder, Insert one copy of the 6 Blocks --Window, DoorRS, DoorLS, Toilet, Sink and the Cubicle -- somewhere in the Drawing area. As you insert each Block, make sure that the Explode button is toggled to Off (unselected).

•

Select OK.

Chapter One

49

•

Move and Copy the Blocks as necessary to result in the diagram shown below. Note that other than the Toilets and Sinks, the final positions of all other symbols are exact. For the arrangement of the sixteen cubicles, you may use the rectangular array Command, knowing the given dimensions.

•

Zoom All and make sure that your Drawing matches that shown above.

•

Save the Office Plan _ _ _.dwg Drawing again using the same name and folder location as before.

•

Close the Office Plan _ _ _.dwg Drawing.

50 Note: You are about to create a Drawing that contains the South and West Elevation views of the office. The Drawing shown below is a simplified representation of the Elevations and will be used later in the book to demonstrate Sheet Sets. 7. Create the Office Elevation Views by doing the following: •

Select File, New, and then use the acad.dwt to begin a new Drawing.

•

Set Units to Architectural with a Precision of to 1/2".

•

Set Limits to 0',0' and 120',80'. Zoom All and then create a rectangular border at the boundary of your Limits.

•

Use the given dimensions to create the two Elevations of the Office. Do not Label or Dimension the views. Exact locations for the two Views are user-specified.

•

Save AS the Drawing as Office Elevation _ _ _.dwg Drawing to your Review_Material folder.

Note: Although the Office Elevation _ _ _ Drawing is not an assignment, it will be addressed again in the book. Plotting is not required. •

Close the Drawing.

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51

8. Add Furniture to the Office using these given instructions: •

Open your Office Plan _ _ _.dwg Drawing.

•

Save AS the Drawing as Office with Furniture_ _ _ Drawing to your Review_Material folder

•

Zoom into the 16-cubicle area as necessary.

Note: You are about to Insert multiple copies of the Desk, the CompDesk and the Chair symbol into your drawing. The first time you Insert a copy of each symbol, you will use the Browse button. From that point on, each symbol becomes local to the drawing. •

Insert 9 copies of the Desk Block in the proper locations and orientations (having 0, 90, and 270 degree rotation as needed) as shown below.

•

Insert the CompDesk Blocks (7 copies) and the Chair Blocks (16 copies) in their proper location and orientation as shown below.

•

Zoom All.

•

Save and then Close the Office with Furniture_ _ _ Drawing.

52

Redefining Blocks Knowing that in a design environment, change is inevitable, and that Drawings and symbols are revised frequently, AutoCAD allows for simple and practical editing of Blocks. The editing of a Block is referred to as Redefining a Block. 1. Redefine a Block by doing the following: •

Open the All Symbols _ _ _.dwg Drawing file from your Symbols folder.

•

Make the following modifications to the Desk symbol: Fillet the corners of the Desk using a Radius of 2”.In the case of a rectangle, you can use the Polyline option of the Fillet Command to Fillet all 4 corners in one selection. In the upper left corner of the Desk, 6" from both edges of the desk, create a Circle having a Radius of 1.5". Offset the Circle to the inside by 0.25”. Mirror the two Circles about the center of the desk vertically, as shown below.

Chapter One •

53

Make the following modifications to the Chair symbol: Fillet the corners of the seat using a Radius of 4”. Fillet the corners of the arms and back using a Radius of 0.75”.

•

Make the following modifications to the Computer Desk symbol: Construct Line L2 from the corner of symbol to midpoint of L1. Offset L2 to both sides through corners of the desk, thus creating L3 and L4 as shown below. Offset L3 and L4 to the outside (away from the center) by 1”. To create Line L5, Offset Line L1 Through the intersection as shown below.

54 Use the Trim, Erase and Fillet (with a radius of 0.0) Tools to edit the geometry as shown below.

Use the Fillet Command to fillet corners of Computer Desk using a Radius of 2”.

•

Select the Make Block tool from the Draw toolbar. {The Block definition dialog box appears.}

•

From the drop-down list of Block names, select Desk.

•

Select the Select Object button and then select the revised Desk geometry and for the Insertion base point use the intersection of the two edges (Int option) of the desk as shown by the dot below.

Chapter One

55

•

Select OK. {You are informed that the Desk is already defined, and are given the option to redefine the Block.}

•

Select Yes.

•

Similarly, redefine the Chair and CompDesk using the diagram below. Keep in mind that the insertion points of these new symbols must remain consistent with those of the old symbols as shown below by the dots. If the wrong base points are selected, symbols will shift position unexpectedly.

Note: Once the Desk, Chair, and Computer Desk Blocks are revised and updated, you also have to update the WBlock files. •

At the Command line, type W (for Wblock) and then ENTER. {The Write Block dialog box appears.}

•

In the Source area, select Block and use the drop-down to select Desk from the list.

•

In the Destination area, make sure that the path is set to your My_CAD_Folder\Symbols\Desk.dwg and then select OK. {You are informed that the file already exists and are given the option to replace the file.}

•

Select Yes.

•

Repeat the WBlock process for the Chair and the Computer Desk.

•

Zoom All.

•

Save and Close the All Symbols _ _ _.dwg file.

56 In this exercise, you will incorporate the updated symbols into the Office Drawing. As demonstrated in this assignment, the first time a Block is Inserted, the WBlock file will be used. Once the Block is Inserted into the Drawing, it resides in the Drawing and can be addressed locally. Finally, the Drawing will be plotted using a newly created Layout by means of a Template. •

Open the Office with Review_Material folder.

Furniture_

_

_

•

From the Draw toolbar, select the Insert Block tool. {The Insert dialog box appears.}

•

Click on the Browse button so that you can insert the updated Blocks into the Drawing.

•

From the list of Drawing files, select Desk.dwg and then select Open and then OK. {The Dialog box appears, informing you that the Block is already defined and gives you the option to update Block definition.}

•

Select Yes. {Desk symbol drags on the screen.}

•

Press the Esc key. {All Desks are updated.}

Drawing

from

your

Chapter One

57

•

Repeat the same process for a Chair symbol. {All chairs are updated.}

•

Finally, update the CompDesk symbol using the same procedure. The Drawing should appear as shown below.

•

Erase the 84' x 56' border rectangle since it is no longer needed.

•

Save the Office with Furniture_ _ _Drawing

Note: It is important to recognize that the Office Layout Drawing did not automatically update to the new WBlock files and that for the updates to take place, each new Block had to be inserted manually. Later in the book, you will learn to automate this process using External References.

58

Create Layout from Template 1. Load and dock the Layouts toolbar. You can do this by right-clicking on any tool and then selecting Layouts from the list.

2. Create a Layout tab using a Template by doing the following: •

In the Layouts toolbar, select the Layout from Template button. {The Select Template from File dialog box will appear.}

•

In the Select Template From File dialog box, select the Views dropdown menu located in the upper right corner, and then select List. If the List button is shown in gray, then it is already selected and the files are listed.

•

From your Main Folder and then Templates, select the My Template Paper Space A size _ _ _ Template and then select Open. This template was created in the earlier portion of this chapter.

•

As the Insert Layout(s) dialog box appears, select Layout1 and then click OK. {A new tab appears to the right of the Layout1 and Layout2 tabs.}

•

Right-click the "Layout3-Layout1" tab and from the shortcut menu list of options select Rename. {The Rename Layout dialog box appears.}

•

Enter the name Office Plan and then press Enter. {The tab is renamed as Office Plan.}

•

Right-click on the Layout1 tab and from the shortcut menu list of options, select Delete and then OK. {The Layout1 tab is deleted.}

Chapter One

59

•

Repeat the same process for the Layout2 tab. {Layout2 tab is deleted, leaving you with only the Model and Office Plan tabs as shown below.}

•

Select the Office Plan tab as shown below.

•

Switch to Model Space within the current Layout by clicking on the Paper/Model Toggle button in the Status Bar. {The Status Bar will read Model and a thick line will appear defining the border of the Viewport as shown below.}

3. Zoom Extends. {The Office Layout displays in the Viewport area.}

4. Save the Office with Furniture_ _ _Drawing. 5. Exit AutoCAD.

61

Assignment 1 1. Launch AutoCAD and Open your Office with Furniture _ _ _ Drawing from your Review_Material folder. 2. Make sure to be in the Model Space of the Office Plan Layout. 3. From the Viewports toolbar, use the Scale drop-down menu to select a scale of 1/8"=1'-0"and then if necessary, Pan (but do not Zoom) to center the Drawing. 4. Use the Status Bar to switch to Paper Space. 5. Double-click in the Text area of the title box and Edit the Text to reflect a scale of 1/8"=1'-0". 6. Exit the Text Command by pressing ENTER twice. 7. Save the Office with Furniture_ _ _Drawing. 8. Plot the Office Plan Layout using given settings.

9. Check to make sure that your Plot matches the Drawing on the next page. 10. Close the Viewports and the Layouts toolbars. 11. Exit AutoCAD.

62

Chapter One

63