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AutoCAD:
Is a CAD (Computer Aided Design) software
application for 2D and 3D design and drafting,
developed and sold by Autodesk.
3D house model.
Serpent 710 4WD 200mm
Gas powered car 3D model
Ground floor plan.
Piping system in 3D
By Abeyou 2008
BDU
Chapter One
Introduction to AutoCAD
Welcome to AutoCAD 200i, a product with a rich and unique history. More recently, the
introduction of microprocessors and computer combinations have made possible the development of
computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacture (CAD and CAM) technology.
First released in 1982 under the name MicroCAD, the first AutoCAD ran under the CP/M operating
system on Intel 8080 computer .The first AutoCAD release started a revolution in drafting and
design .Today, AutoCAD is translated into 18 languages and used by millions of users worldwide on
computers a thousand time more powerful than those early 8080 microprocessor.
CAD is an acronym for computer aided Design or computer Aided Drafting. CAD allows you to
accomplish Design and Drafting activities using a computer.
CAD is a tool that can be used:-
9 To make rough ideas drawings, also it is more suited to creating accurate finish drawing and
rendering
9 To create a two dimensional or three dimensional computer model of the product or system
for further analysis and testing by other computer programs.
Getting started with AutoCAD 200i
1.1 Starting AutoCAD 200i
There are two different common methods to start AutoCAD 200i
9 From the start menu choose programs .Then choose Autodesk again Autodesk and AutoCAD
200i.
9 Double click on AutoCAD 200i icon on the desktop if there is AutoCAD 200i icon on the
desktop.
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9 2 The AutoCAD window
Title bar
Standard toolbar
Menu bar
Working area
User coordinate system
Model tab and layout tab
Command window
Standard curser
Status bar
Title bars
This will show you what program you are running and what the current filename is.
Menu bars
These are the standard pull-down menus through which you can access almost all commands.
Toolbars
AutoCAD has a compressive set of toolbars. Choosing a toolbar will activate the command
associated with the toolbar.
Working area
This is where you draw. You have an almost infinite area to draw and this is just a 'section' of
the entire space.
UCS (user coordinate system)
The UCS system represents the current location and orientation of the X, Y and Z axises with
in the drawing.
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Model and layout tab
Controls options for existing and new layouts. A layout is a paper space environment in which you
can set up drawings for plotting. Paper size, plotter name, drawing orientation, etc
Command window
When you type a command, you will see it here. AutoCAD uses this space to 'prompt' you
for information. It will give you a lot of information and tell you where you are in the
command. A command will either display a set of options or activate a dialogue box. Most
commands will have alias. An alias is an abbreviated command or short cut entry.
In the command prompt the default options are always indicated in triangular brackets like so
<Default> and command options appear within square brackets like so [Option]. Each
option is separated by a forward slash like this /. You can choose to use the alternative
options by typing them at the prompt. Note that to invoke a command option, you need only
type the upper-case part of the option name.
Status bar
The status bar at the bottom of the AutoCAD window always shows the current co-ordinate
value at the cursor point and also allows seeing and changing different modes of drawing
such as Ortho, Osnaps, Grid, Otrack, etc.
Coordinates: shows the current cursor location.
SNAP / F9: Snap spacing restricts cursor movement to specific intervals .When you tern on snap
mode, the cursor “snaps” to spaced coordinates as if they were cursor managements.
GRID / Keyboard Grid or F7 : The grid command displays a dot grid with in the current view ports
and drawing limits. The grid command allows you to set your X,Y values and visibility. The grid is
used only for reference and will not show up within a hard copy plot.
ORTHO / Keyboard Ortho or F8: Ortho is short for orthogonal, which means either vertical or
horizontal. Ortho on and off mode forces the movement of the cursor in horizontal or vertical
directions only.
POLAR / F8: A precision drawing tool that displays temporary alignment paths defined by user-
specified polar angles.
OSNAP / F3: Object snap lets you snap to specific geometric points of existing objects in the
drawing.
ICON SETTING
Snaps to the closest endpoint of an arc, elliptical arc, line, multiline,
Endpoint polyline segment, spline, region, or ray, or to the closest corner of a
trace, solid, or 3D face.
Snaps to the midpoint of an arc, ellipse, elliptical arc, line, multiline,
Midpoint
polyline segment, region, solid, spline, or xline.
Center Snaps to the center of an arc, circle, ellipse, or elliptical arc.
Snaps to a point object, dimension definition point, or dimension text
Node
origin
Quadrant Snaps to a quadrant point of an arc, circle, ellipse, or elliptical arc.
Snaps to the intersection of an arc, circle, ellipse, elliptical arc, line,
Intersection
multiline, polyline, ray, region, spline, or xline. Extended Intersection is
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not available as a running object snap.
Causes a temporary extension line or arc to be displayed when you
Extension pass the cursor over the endpoint of objects, so you can specify points
on the extension.
Insertion Point Snaps to the insertion point of an attribute, a block, a shape, or text.
Snaps to a point perpendicular to an arc, circle, ellipse, elliptical arc,
Perpendicular
line, multiline, polyline, ray, region, solid, spline, or xline.
Tangent Snaps to the tangent of an arc, circle, ellipse, elliptical arc, or spline.
Snaps to the nearest point on an arc, circle, ellipse, elliptical arc, line,
Nearest
multiline, point, polyline, ray, spline, or xline.
Snaps to the visual intersection of two objects that are not in the same
Apparent plane but may appear to intersect in the current view. Apparent and
Intersection Extended Apparent Intersection do not work with edges or corners of
3D solids.
Draws a vector parallel to another object whenever you are prompted
Parallel
for the second point of a vector.
OTRACK: AutoTrack helps you draw objects at specific angles or in specific relationships to other
objects. When you turn on AutoTrack, temporary alignment paths help you create objects at precise
positions and angles. AutoTrack includes two tracking options: polar tracking and object snap
tracking.
LWT: Controls whether lineweights are displayed in the current drawing. If this option is selected,
lineweights are displayed in model space and paper space.
MODEL: On the Model tab, you can view and edit model space objects. Used to switch between the
model and paper space.
Interpreting the curser mode
Several types of cursor icons will be seen when using AutoCAD in this section you will be
familiar with some of cursor messages:-
Standard Cursor -------------------------
Point selection cursor-------------------
Object Selection Cursor ----------------
Osnap marker with tool tip-------------
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Distance entry methods: there are two different techniques.
i. Direct distance entry
This is the simplest way to place series of lines with out entering co-ordinate values. You determine
your next point by moving the cursor in the direction you want to go and inter the required distance
from your current position.
ii. Co-ordinates entry
The AutoCAD system provides with a variety of methods to locate a point on the drawing screen in
order to carry out a particular action, for instance, to locate the end point of a line or to move one
object to new location. The most common methods of Co-ordinate entry are covered below:-
1. Absolute co-ordinate
Absolute co-ordinates relate to the X and Y axes and the origin of the current co-ordinate
system. That means your coordinates are taken from one datum base point, the lower left
corner, X,Y.
2. Relative co-ordinate
Relative co-ordinates relate to the current pick point. To specify a relative co-ordinate you
need to use the "at" symbol as a prefix. It has @x,y format.
3. Polar co-ordinate
Polar co-ordinates relate to the current pick point. To specify a relative co-ordinate you
need to use the "at" symbol as a prefix. It has @r<θ format.
Exercise 1 Draw the figure below using co-ordinate entry method. (Assume the coordinate of point A
to be 20,20)
D E
B G
C F
A
H
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Absolute co-ordinate entry system
Activate line command using draw toolbar or draw menu.
Specify first point: 20,20 enter A
Specify next point: 20,40 enter B
Specify next point: 40,40 enter C
Specify next point: 40,50 enter D
Specify next point: 55,50 enter E
Specify next point: 55,40 enter F
Specify next point: 75,40 enter G
Specify next point: 75,20 enter H
Specify next point: 20 20 enter A
Relative co-ordinate entry system
Activate line command using draw toolbar or draw menu.
Specify first point: click any point A
Specify next point: @0,20 enter B
Specify next point: @20,0 enter C
Specify next point: @0,10 enter D
Specify next point: @15,0 enter E
Specify next point: @0,-10 enter F
Specify next point: @20,0 enter G
Specify next point: @0,-20 enter H
Specify next point: @-55,0 enter A
Polar co-ordinate entry system
Activate line command using draw toolbar or draw menu.
Specify first point: click any point A
Specify next point: @20<90 enter B
Specify next point: @20<0 enter C
Specify next point: @10<90 enter D
Specify next point: @15<0 enter E
Specify next point: @10<270 enter F
Specify next point: @20<0 enter G
Specify next point: @20<270 enter H
Specify next point: @55<1800 enter A
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