ANNAMACHARYA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCES

TIRUPATI (AUTONOMOUS)

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

BASICS OF CAD LAB MANUAL

COURSE CODE: 20APC0107

(During the academic year 2021-2022)

Submitted By

NAME OF THE STUDENT________________

H.T.NO________________________________
 INDEX
Introduction to AutoCAD .............................................................................
Guide to AutoCAD Basics .............................................................................
Basics .................................................................................................................
Viewing ............................................................................................................
Geometry ........................................................................................................
Precision ..........................................................................................................
Layers................................................................................................................
Modifying .......................................................................................................
Blocks................................................................................................................
Notes and Labels ........................................................................................
Dimensions ....................................................................................................
Printing ............................................................................................................
Plan-Floor& Line diagrams ..................................................................
Introduction to AutoCAD

AutoCAD is helping users produce quality designs

in less time with significant improvements.
Guide to AutoCAD Basics
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS

Guide to AutoCAD Basics

In this section, you’ll find a comprehensive technical AutoCAD tutorial which includes all the basic commands you will need when creating 2D
drawings with AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT.

If you have just completed your AutoCAD training, or if you are comfortable with AutoCAD basics but would like a refresher, this is a great place to
start. The included commands are grouped together according to types of activity, and are arranged to follow a generalworkflow. The following sections
are covered:

Basics: Properties: Notes and Labels:

This section reviews the basic AutoCAD You can assign properties such as color Create notes, labels, bubbles, and callouts. Save and
controls. and linetype to individual objects, or as restore style settings by name.
Viewing: default properties assigned to layers. Dimensions:
Pan and zoom in a drawing, and control Modifying: Create several types of dimensions andsave
the order of overlapping objects. Perform editing operations such as dimension settings by name.
Geometry: erase, move, and trim on the objects in a Printing:
drawing.
Create basic geometric objects such as Output a drawing layout to a printer, aplotter, or a
lines, circles, and hatched areas. Blocks: file. Save and restore theprinter settings for each
Precision: Insert symbols and details into your layout.
drawings from commercial online For questions, the product discussiongroup is a
Ensure the precision required for your
sourcesor from your own designs. great resource, as is the AutoCAD blog.
models.
Layouts:
Layers:
Display one or more scaled views of your
Organize your drawing by assigning
design on a standard-size drawing sheet
objects to layers.
called a layout.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BASICS

Basics
Review the basic AutoCAD controls.

After you launch AutoCAD, click the Start Drawing button to begin a new drawing.

AutoCAD includes a standard tabbed ribbon across the top of the drawing area. You can access nearly all the
commands presented in this guide from the Home tab. In addition, the Quick Access toolbar shown below
NOTE: If the Home tab is not the currenttab,
includes familiar commands such as New, Open, Save, Print, Undo, and so on. go ahead and click it.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BASICS

The Command Window

At the heart of AutoCAD is the Command window, which is Notice that as you start to type a command, an autocompletemenu
normally docked at the bottom of the application window. The appears. When several options are available, such as inthe example
Command window displays prompts, options, and messages. below, make your choice by clicking the correct option or using the
arrow keys and then pressing Enter or theSpacebar to confirm your
selection.

You can enter commands directly in the Command window instead

of using the ribbon, toolbars, and menus. Many long-time
AutoCAD users prefer this method.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BASICS

The Mouse
Most people use a mouse as their pointing device, but other devices have equivalent controls.

Here’s a Tip:
When looking for a commandor
option, try right-clicking.
Depending on where your
cursor is located, different
menus will display relevant
commands and options.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BASICS

New Drawings
You can easily conform to industry or company standards by
specifying settings for text, dimensions, linetypes, and several other
features. For example, this backyard deck design displaystwo different
dimension styles.

All these settings can be saved in a drawing template file. ClickNew to

choose from several drawing template files:

The “Tutorial” template files in the list are examples of the architectural
or mechanical design templates using both imperial
(i) and metric (m) measurements. You might want to experimentwith
• For imperial drawings that assume your units are inches, use them.
acad.dwt or acadlt.dwt. Most companies use drawing template files that conform to
• For metric units that assume your units are millimeters, use company standards, and they will often use different drawing
acadiso.dwt or acadltiso.dwt. template files depending on the project or client.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BASICS

GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BASICS

Units
When you first start a drawing, you need to decide what the length of one unit represents—an inch, a foot, a
centimeter, a kilometer, or some other unit of length. For example, the objects belowcould represent two
buildings that are each 125 feet long, or they could represent a section from amechanical part that is measured
in millimeters.

Here’s a Tip:
If you need to change the
UNITS settings, make sure that
you save the drawing asa drawing
Unit Display Settings template file (.dwt).Otherwise,
you will need to change the
After you decide what unit of length that you want to use, the UNITS command lets you controlseveral UNITS settings foreach new
unit display settings including the following: drawing.
Format (or Type): For example, a decimal length of 6.5 can be set to display as a fractionallength of 6-
1/2 instead.

Precision: For example, a decimal length of 6.5 can be set to display as 6.50, 6.500, or 6.5000.

If you plan to work in feet and inches, use the UNITS command to set the unit type to Architectural, and
then when you create objects, specify their lengths in inches. If you plan to usemetric units, leave the unit type
set to Decimal. Changing the unit format and precision does notaffect the internal precision of your drawing,
it affects only how lengths, angles, and coordinatesare displayed in the user interface.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BASICS

Model Scale
Always create your models at full size (1:1 scale). The term model refers to the geometry of your design. A
drawing includes the model geometry along with the views, notes, dimensions, callouts,tables, and the title block
displayed in the layout.

You can specify the scaling that is necessary to print a drawing on a standard-sized sheet later,when you
create the layout.

Recommendations
To open Help for information about the command in progress, press F1. To

repeat the previous command, press Enter or the Spacebar.

Here’s a Tip:
To see various options, select an object and right-click or right-click a user interface element.
Press Esc to cancel this
To cancel a command in progress or if you ever feel stuck, press Esc. For example, if you clickin the preselection operation.
drawing area before entering a command, you will see something like the following:
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: VIEWING

Viewing
Zoom in on a drawing to better control the order of overlapping objects.The

easiest way to change your view is by using the mouse wheel.

• Zoom in or out by rolling the wheel.

Here’s a Tip:
• Pan a view in any direction by holding the wheel down while moving your mouse.
When you zoom in or out,
• Zoom in on a specific area for greater detail holding your mouse over the area and clicking thewheel the location of the cursor is
twice. important. Think of your
cursor as a magnifying glass.For
example, if you position the
cursor in the upper-rightarea of
the floor plan as shown below,
zooming in magnifies the
dressing roomwithout shifting
the view.

NOTE: If you cannot zoom or pan any

more, type REGEN in the Command
window and press Enter. This command
regenerates the drawing display and resets the
extents available for panning and zooming.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: VIEWING

Overlapping Objects
If you create objects that overlap, you might need to changewhich The draw order options that are listed include sending allhatches to the
objects are displayed on top or in front of the others. For example, back, all text to the front, and so on.
if you want the yellow highway to cross the blueriver rather than the
other way around, use the DRAWORDERcommand to reorder
the objects.

You can access several draw order options from the Modify panel on the
ribbon. Click to expand the Modify panel, and thenclick the down-
arrow as shown below.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: GEOMETRY

Geometry
Create basic geometric objects such as lines, circles, and hatchedareas. Notice the prompt in the Command window for a point
location.
You can create many different types of geometric objects in
AutoCAD, but you only need to know a few of them for most2D
drawings.
To specify the starting point for this line, you would type in the
NOTE: If you want to simplify the display while creating geometric objects, press F12to turn off
coordinates 0,0. It is a good idea to locate one corner of your model
dynamic input.
at 0,0, which is called the origin point. To locate additional points,
you could specify additional X,Y coordinate
Lines locations in the drawing area, however more efficient methods for
specifying points are available, and will be presented in the Precision
The line is the most basic and common object in AutoCADdrawings.
topic.
To draw a line, click the Line tool.

Alternatively, you can type LINE or just L in the Commandwindow,

and then press Enter or the Spacebar.

After you specify the next point, the LINE command automatically
repeats itself, and it keeps prompting you for additional points.
Press Enter or the Spacebar to end the sequence.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: GEOMETRY

The User Coordinate System Lines as Construction Aids

The user coordinate system (UCS) icon indicates the direction of the Lines can serve as reference and construction geometry such as:
positive X and Y axis for any coordinates that you enter, andit also
• Property line setbacks
defines the horizontal and vertical directions in a drawing.In some 2D
drawings, it can be convenient to click, drag, and rotate the UCS to • The mirror line of a symmetrical mechanical part
change the origin point, and the horizontal and vertical directions.
• Clearance lines to avoid interferences

• Traversal path lines

Grid Display
Some people like working with grid lines as a reference, whileothers
prefer working in a blank area. To turn off the grid display, press F7.
Even with the grid turned off, you can force your cursor to snap to grid
increments by pressing F9.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: GEOMETRY

Circles
The default option of the CIRCLE command requires you to Alternatively, you can also enter CIRCLE or just C in the
specify a center point and a radius. Command window and click to choose an option. If you do,you
can specify a center point, or you can click one of the highlighted
command options as shown below.

Circles can be useful as reference geometry. For example, youcan see

The other circle options are available from the drop-down: that the two doors in the illustration can interfere witheach other.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: GEOMETRY

Polylines and Rectangles

A polyline is a connected sequence of line or arc segments thatis Polylines can have a constant width or they can have different starting
created as a single object. and ending widths. After you specify the first point of the polyline,
you can use the Width option to specify the widthof all subsequently
created segments. You can change the widthvalue at any time, even as
you create new segments.

Here is an example of a printed circuit board in which the traces were

Use the PLINE command to create open or closed polylines for: created with wide polylines. The landing pads were createdwith the
DONUT command.
• Geometry that requires fixed-width segments

• Continuous paths for which you need to know the total

length

• Contour lines for topographic maps and isobaric data

• Wiring diagrams and traces on printed circuit boards

• Process and piping diagrams

GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: GEOMETRY

Polylines and Rectangles (continued)

Polylines can have different starting and ending widths for eachsegment Simply click two diagonal points for the rectangle as illustrated.If you
as shown here: use this method, turn on grid snap (F9) for precision.

A fast way to create closed rectangular polylines is to use the

RECTANG command (enter REC in the Command window).
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: GEOMETRY

Hatches and Fills

In AutoCAD, a hatch is a single, compound object that covers a specified area with a pattern oflines, dots,
shapes, a solid fill color, or a gradient fill.

Here’s a Tip:
If you set a solid or gradient fill
hatch pattern, also considersetting
a transparency level
on the Hatch Creation tab for
When you start the HATCH command, the ribbon temporarily displays the Hatch Creation tab. On this tab, interesting overlap effects.
you can choose from over 70 industry-standard imperial and ISO hatch patterns along withmany specialized
options.

The simplest procedure is to choose a hatch pattern and scale from the ribbon, and click within any area that is
completely enclosed by objects. You must specify the scale factor for the hatch in order to control its size and
spacing.

After you create a hatch, you can move the bounding objects to adjust the hatch area, or you candelete one
or more of the bounding objects to create partially bounded hatches:
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: GEOMETRY

Hatches and Fills (continued)

Here are some examples of how you can use solid-fill hatches:

Here’s a Tip:
If you need to align the pattern
in a hatch, which might be the
case with the decking boards
above, use theSet Origin option to
specify analignment point.

NOTE: If an area is not completely enclosed,

red circles appear to indicatepotential gaps.
Enter REDRAW in the Command window to
dismiss the red circles.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PRECISION

Precision
Ensure the precision required for your models. Polar Tracking
There are several precision features available, including: When you need to specify a point, such as when you create a line, you
can use polar tracking to guide the movement of yourcursor in certain
Polar tracking: Snap to the closest preset angle andspecify a
directions.
distance along that angle.
For example, after you specify the first point of the line below,move
Locking angles: Lock to a single, specified angle andspecify a
your cursor to the right, and then enter a distance in the Command
distance along that angle.
window to specify a precise horizontal length for theline.
Object snaps: Snap to precise locations on existing objects,
such as an endpoint of a polyline, the midpoint ofa line, or the
center point of a circle.

Grid snaps: Snap to increments on a rectangular grid.

Coordinate entry: Specify a location by its Cartesian orpolar

coordinates, either absolute or relative.

The three most commonly used features are polar tracking,locking By default, polar tracking is turned on and guides your cursor ina
angles, and object snaps. horizontal or vertical direction (0 or 90 degrees).
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PRECISION

Locking Angles
If you need to draw a line at a specified angle, you can lock theangle Object snaps become available during a command whenever
for the next point. For example, if the second point of aline needs to AutoCAD prompts you to specify a point. For example, if you start a
be created at a 45 degree angle, you would enter‘<45’ in the new line and move your cursor near the endpoint of anexisting line,
Command window. the cursor will automatically snap to it.

After you move your cursor in the desired direction along the45-
degree angle, you can enter the length of the line.

Object Snaps
By far, the most important way for you to specify precise locations on
objects is to use object snaps. In the followingillustration, several
different kinds of object snaps are represented by markers.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PRECISION

Set Default Object Snaps

Enter the OSNAP command to set the default object snaps, which Recommendations
are also called “running” object snaps. For example, you might find
At any prompt for a point, you can specify a single object snap
it useful to turn on the Midpoint object snap bydefault.
that overrides all other object snap settings. Hold down Shift,
right-click in the drawing area, and choose anobject snap from
the Object Snap menu. Then move the cursor to select a
location on an object.

Make sure that you zoom in close enough to avoid mistakes. In

a densely populated model, snapping to thewrong object will
result in an error that can propagate throughout your model.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PRECISION

Object Snap Tracking

During a command, you can align points both horizontally and After you enter DIST, click the endpoint on the corner (1). Next, hold
vertically from object snap locations. In the following illustration,you down Shift as you right-click, and then choose Perpendicularfrom the object
first hover over endpoint 1 and then hover over endpoint snap menu. Finally, click the circle (2).
2. When you move your cursor near location 3, the cursor locksinto the
horizontal and vertical location shown.

You can now finish creating the line, circle, or other object thatyou
were creating from that location.
The number of decimal places and unit style displayed in theresult is
controlled by the UNITS command.
Verify Your Work
Recheck your geometry to catch mistakes early. Enter the DIST
command (or just DI) to measure the distance between any twopoints
in your model.

For example, you might need to find the clearance between twopoints
shown, which might represent the corner of a wall and asmall table, or
perhaps a 2D section of a plastic part and a wire.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PRECISION

Handy Function Key Reference

All keyboard function keys have assignments in AutoCAD. The ones that are most commonlyturned on
and off are indicated with a key.

Key Feature Description

F1 Help Displays Help for the active tooltip, command palette, or dialog
box.

F2 Expanded History Displays expanded command history in the Command Window.

F3 Object Snap Turns object snap on and off.

F4 3D Object Snap Turns on additional object snaps for 3D elements.

F5 Isoplane Cycles through 2-1/2D isoplane settings.

F6 Dynamic UCS Turns on UCS alignment with planar surfaces.

F7 Grid Display Turns the grid display on and off.

F8 Ortho Locks cursor movement to horizontal or vertical.

NOTE: F8 and F10 are mutually
F9 Grid Snap Restricts cursor movement to specified grid intervals. exclusive—turning either one on willturn
the other one off.
F10 Polar Tracking Guides cursor movement to specified angles.

F11 Object Snap Tracking Tracks the cursor horizontally or vertically from object snap
locations.

F12 Dynamic Input Displays distances and angles near the cursor and accepts input as
you use Tab between the fields.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYERS

Layers
Organize your drawing by assigning objects to layers. In the drawing below, the doors and electrical wiring were
temporarily hidden by hiding their layers.
When a drawing becomes visually complex, you can hide objectsthat you
currently do not need to see.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYERS

Layers (continued)
You gain this level of control by organizing the objects in your drawing on layers that are associatedwith a specific
function or purpose. It might be helpful to think of layers as clear plastic sheets:

Important:
Resist the temptation to create
everything on one layer.Layers are
the most important organizing
feature available in AutoCAD
drawings.
With layers, you can:

• Associate objects by their function or location

• Display or hide all objects related to a single operation

• Enforce linetype, color, and other property standards for each layer
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYERS

Layer Controls
To see how a drawing is organized, use the LAYER command toopen As indicated, layer 10 WALLS is the current layer. All new objectsare
the Layer Properties Manager. You can either enter LAYERor LA in automatically placed on that layer. In the list of layers, the green check
the Command window, or you can click the Layer Properties tool on next to layer 10 WALLS indicates that it is the current layer.
the ribbon.
In the column labeled On, notice that the light bulb icons for two
layers are dark. This indicates that these layers were turnedoff to hide the
doors and electrical wiring in the floor plan.

Notice that each layer name starts with a two-digit number. This
convention makes it easy to control the order of the layersbecause their
order does not depend on the alphabet.

Here’s a Tip:
For complex drawings, you might want to consider a more
Here’s what the Layer Properties Manager displays for this
elaborate layer naming standard. For example, layer names could
drawing.
begin with 3 digits followed by a naming code that accommodates
multiple floors in a building, project numbers,sets of survey and
property data, and so on.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYERS

Practical Recommendations Layer Settings

Layer 0 is the default layer that exists in all drawings and has some The following are the most commonly used layer settings in theLayer
esoteric properties. Instead of using this layer, it’sbest to create Properties Manager. Click the icon to turn the setting on and off.
your own layers with meaningful names.

Any drawing that contains at least one dimension object

automatically includes a reserved layer named Defpoints. Turn Off Layers: This will help
reduce the visual complexity of your
Create a layer for behind-the-scenes construction geometry, drawing while you work.
reference geometry, and notes that you usuallydo not need to see
or print.
Freeze Layers: Freeze layers that you
Create a layer for layout viewports. Information aboutlayout do not need to access for a while.

COMMONLY USER LAYER SETTINGS

viewports is covered in the Layouts topic. Freezing layers is similar to turning
them off, but improves performance
Create a layer for all hatches and fills. This lets you to turnthem in very large drawings.
all on or off in one action.

Lock Layers: Locking layers prevents

accidental changes to the objects
on those layers. Also, the objects on
locked layers appear faded, which
helps reduce the visual complexity of
your drawing.

Set Default Properties: You can set the default properties

for each layer, including color, linetype, line weight, and
transparency. New objects that you create will use these
properties unless you override them. Overriding layer properties
is explained later in this topic.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYERS

Controls in the Layer Properties Manager

To create a new layer, click the button shown and enter the name of Occasionally, check to make sure that the objects you create willbe on
the new layer. To make a different layer the currentone, click the the correct layer. It’s easy to forget to do this, but it’s also easy to set.
layer and then click the indicated button. Click the drop-down arrow to display a list of layers,and then click a
layer on the list to make it the current layer. Youcan also click on any
layer setting icon in the list to change its setting.

Quick Access to Layer Settings

The Layer Properties Manager takes up a lot of space, and you may not
always need to access all the options. For quick access to the most
common layer controls, use the controls on the ribbon. When no
objects are selected, the Layers panel on the Home tab displays the
name of the current layer as shown here.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PROPERTIES

Linetypes
Dashed and other non-continuous linetypes are assigned from the 4. Once you’ve loaded the linetypes that you plan to use, you can
Properties panel. You must first load a linetype before you can assign select any object and specify a linetype from the Properties panel
it. or the Properties palette. Alternatively, you can specify a default
linetype for any layer in the LayerProperties Manager.
In the Linetype drop-down list, click Other.

This action displays the Linetype Manager dialog box.

Perform the following steps in order:

1. Click Load. Choose one or more linetypes that you want to use.
Notice that dashed (non-continuous) linetypes come in several
preset sizes.

2. Click Show/Hide details to display additional settings.

3. Specify a different “global scale factor” for all linetypes—thelarger

the value, the longer the dashes and spaces. Click OK.

.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Modifying
Perform editing operations such as erase, move, and trim on the objects in a drawing.

The most common modifying tools are located on the Modify panel of the Home tab. Take a minuteto look
through them.

Erase
To erase an object, use the ERASE command. You can enter E in the Command window, or clickthe Erase NOTE: Alternatively, before you enter any
command, you can select several objects
tool. When you see the cursor change to a square pickbox, click each object that you want to erase, and then and then press the Delete key. Experienced
press Enter or the Spacebar. users often use this method as well.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Select Multiple Objects

Sometimes you may need to select a large number of objects. Instead of selecting each object individually, you can
select the objects in an area by clicking an empty location (1), moving yourcursor right or left, and then clicking a
second time (2).

Here’s a Tip:
You can easily remove objects
from the selection set. For
example, if you select 42
objects, and two ofthem should
not have been
selected, hold down Shift and
then select the two that you want
• With a crossing selection, any objects within or touching the green area are selected. to remove. Then, press Enter or
• With a window selection, only the objects completely contained within the blue area areselected. the Spacebar, or right click to
end the selectionprocess.
The result is called the selection set, which is the set of objects that will be processed by acommand.

NOTE: Clicking and dragging results in a

different selection method called lasso
selection.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Move and Copy

Here’s how you would use the COPY command to lay out a rowof The Distance Method
decorative tiles. Starting with a polyline that represents its shape, you
The second tile needs to be a total of 9-7/8” + 1/8” = 10” to the right
need to make copies that are 1/8” apart.
of the original tile. Start by selecting the tile, pressing Enter or the
Spacebar to end your selection, and clicking anywhere in the drawing
area (1). This point does not have to belocated on the tile.

Click the Copy tool or enter CP in the Command window to start the
command. From here, you can choose between two methods,
depending on which is more convenient. You will usethese two
methods frequently.
Next, move your cursor to the right, relying on the polar trackingangle
to keep the direction horizontal, and then enter 10 for thedistance.
Press Enter or the Spacebar a second time to end the command.

The specified distance and a direction from a point (1) is appliedto the
tile that you selected.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Move and Copy (continued)

The Two Points Method

Another method, one that you will often use when you don’t want to add numbers together, requires two
steps. Enter the COPY command and select the tile as before, but this time click thetwo endpoints as shown.
These two points also define a distance and direction.

Here’s a Tip:
The two points that define the
distance and direction don’t
need to be located on the
object that you want to copy.
You can use two pointsspecified
Next, to add the 1/8” space between the tiles, click the Move tool or enter M in the Command window. anywhere in your model.
The MOVE command is similar to the COPY command. Select the newly copied tile, and press Enter or the
Spacebar. As before, click anywhere in the drawing area and move your cursor tothe right. Enter 1/8 or .125
for the distance.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Create Multiple Copies

You can use the two-point method as a repeating sequence. Let’s say For larger numbers of copies, try experimenting with the Arrayoption of
that you want to make more copies of the circle at thesame horizontal the COPY command. For example, here’s a linear arrangement of
distance. Enter the COPY command and selectthe circle as shown. deep foundation piles. From a base point, youspecify number of copies
and the center-to-center distance.

Then, using the Center object snap, click the center of circle 1,followed
by the center of circle 2, and so on.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Offset
Most models include a lot of parallel lines and curves. Creating them is easy and efficient with the
OFFSET command. Click the OFFSET tool or enter O in the Command window.

Select the object (1), specify the offset distance, and click to indicate on which side of the originalthat you
want the result (2). Here is an example of offsetting a polyline.
Here’s a Tip:
A fast way to create concentriccircles is to
offset them.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Trim and Extend

A popular technique is to use the OFFSET command in combination with the TRIM and EXTEND
commands. In the Command window, you can enter TR for TRIM or EX for EXTEND. Trimmingand
extending are some of the most commonly used operations.

Here’s a Tip:
A faster method is to press
In the following illustration, you want to extend the lines that represent the steps for this deck.Enter the Enter or the Spacebar right away
EXTEND command, select the boundary, and then press Enter or the Spacebar. instead of selecting any boundary
objects. The result isthat all objects
are available aspossible
boundaries.

Pressing Enter or the Spacebar indicates that you’ve finished selecting the boundaries, and thatyou’re now
ready to select the objects to be extended.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Trim and Extend (continued)

Next, select the objects to be extended (near the ends to be As you can see, the selected lines are extended to the boundary.
extended), and then press Enter or the Spacebar to end the
command.

The TRIM command follows the same steps, except that whenyou
select the objects to trim, you select the portions to trim away.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Mirror
The following illustration comes from a tile project. The walls in this In the example below, begin the MIRROR command (or enterMI
residential bathroom are flattened out to be able to lay out the tile in the Command window), use window selection (1 and 2) to select
pattern and estimate the number of tiles needed. the geometry on the right wall, press Enter or the
Spacebar, and then specify a mirror line (3 and 4) correspondingto the
centerline of the bathroom.

Finally, decline the option to “Erase source objects” by pressingEnter or the

Spacebar.

You can save a lot of work by taking advantage of the symmetrybetween

the left and right walls. All you need to do is create thetiles on one wall Here’s a Tip:
and then mirror the wall across the center of the room.
Always look for symmetry to save yourself extra work, even if
the symmetry is not 100% identical.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Stretch
You can stretch most geometric objects. This lets you lengthen and Fillet
shorten parts of your model. For example, this model mightbe a gasket
or the design for a public park. The FILLET command (enter F in the Command window) createsa
rounded corner by creating an arc that is tangent to two selected
objects. Notice that the fillet is created relative to whereyou select the
objects.

You can create a fillet between most types of geometric objects,

including lines, arcs, and polyline segments.

Use the STRETCH command (or enter S in the Command window)

and select the objects with a crossing selection as shown below (1 and
2). The crossing selection is mandatory— only the geometry that is
crossed by the crossing selection is stretched. Then click anywhere in the
drawing area (3), move thecursor to the right, and enter 50 as the
distance. This distancemight represent millimeters or feet.

Here’s a Tip:
If you specify 0 (zero) as the radius of the fillet (imagine a circle
shrinking to a radius of 0), the result trims or extendsthe selected
objects to a sharp corner.

To shorten the model by a specified amount, you’d move yourcursor to

the left instead.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Explode
The EXPLODE command (enter X in the Command window) disassociates a compound object intoits
component parts. You can explode objects such as polylines, hatches, and blocks (symbols).

After you explode a compound object, you can modify each resulting individual object.

Edit Polylines
You can choose from several useful options when you want to modify a polyline. The PEDIT
command (enter PE in the Command window) is located on the drop-down list of the Modifypanel.
Here’s a Tip:
In some cases, the easiest
method to modify a polylineis
to explode it, make the
modifications, and then turn
the objects back into a
polyline using the Join optionof
the PEDIT command.

With this command, you can:

• Join two polylines into a single polyline if they share a common endpoint

• Convert lines and arcs into a polyline—simply enter PEDIT and select the line or arc

• Change the width of a polyline

GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Grips
Grips are displayed when you select an object without starting a command. Grips are often handy for light
editing. For example, the line below accidentally snapped to the wrong endpoint. You canselect the
misaligned line, click on a grip and then click to specify the correct location.

By default, when you click a grip, you automatically start in **STRETCH** mode as indicated in the
Command window. If you want to explore other ways of editing objects with grips, press Enteror the Spacebar
to cycle through several other editing modes. Some people perform most editing operations using grips.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BLOCKS

Blocks
Insert symbols and details into your drawings from commercialonline Insert a Block
sources or from your own designs.
Typically, each of these blocks is an individual drawing file, perhaps
In AutoCAD, a block is a collection of objects that are combinedinto a saved in a folder with similar drawing files. When you need to
single named object. The following are some sample blocks at various insert one into your current drawing file, use theINSERT
scales. command (or enter I in the Command window).

Some of these blocks are realistic representations of objects, some are

symbols, and one of them is an architectural title blockfor a D-size
drawing.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BLOCKS

Insert a Block (continued)

The first time you insert the drawing as a block, you must click Browse Notice that when you insert a block, it is attached to your cursorat the
to locate the drawing file. Make sure you organize yourblocks into point indicated. This location is called the insertion point.By default,
easy-to-find folders. the insertion point is the origin point (0,0) of the original drawing.

After inserting the block, you can select it and a grip appears.You can
easily move and rotate this block using this grip.

Once inserted, the block definition is stored in your current drawing.

From then on, you can choose it from the Name drop-down list
without needing to click the Browse button.
In the following example, a drawing file is inserted into the
current drawing to provide a standard detail view.
Here’s a Tip: NOTE: Inserting a drawing file as a block provides a static reference to the specified
drawing. For a reference that automatically updates, you can attach the drawing with
The default settings in the Insert dialog box are usually the External References palette (XREF command) instead.
acceptable. After you choose the block name, click OK, andthen
specify its location in your drawing. You can rotate it later, if
necessary.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BLOCKS

Create a Block Definition

Instead of creating a drawing file to be inserted as a block, youmight
want to create a block definition directly in your currentdrawing.
Use this method if you do not plan to insert the blockinto any other
drawing. In that case, use the BLOCK commandto create the block
definition.

You can enter the information for steps 3, 4, and 5 into theBlock
Definition dialog box in any order.

For example, this is how you could create a module for a cubicledesign.

1. Create the objects for the block.

2. Start the BLOCK command.

3. Enter a name for the block, in this case Quad-Cube.

4. Select the objects that you created for the block (click 1 and 2).

5. Specify the block insertion point.

GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BLOCKS

Create a Block Definition (continued)

After creating the block definition, you can insert, copy, and rotate the block as needed.

Here’s a Tip:
With online access, you can
download AutoCAD drawing
files from the websites of
commercial vendorsand
Using the EXPLODE command, you can explode a block into its component objects if you need tomake
suppliers. This can saveyou
changes. In the illustration below, the cubicle on the right was exploded and modified.
time, but always checkto make
sure that they are
drawn correctly and to scale.
Autodesk Seek (http://
seek.autodesk.com/) is a
convenient way of accessingBIM
In this example, you would probably create a new block definition from the objects in the exploded block. (building information
modeling) libraries.
Recommendations
There are several different schemes for saving and retrieving block definitions. NOTE: You can create block definitionsthat
include one or more attributes that store and
You can create an individual drawing file for each block that you intend to use. You save thesedrawing display information. The
files in folders, each of which would contain a family of related drawing files. command that you would use is ATTDEF.
Typically, attributes include data such as
part number, name, cost, and date. Youcan
You can include the block definitions for title blocks and common symbols in your drawingtemplate
export block attribute information toa table or to
files to make them available immediately when starting a new drawing. an external file.

You can create several drawing files, which are sometimes called block library drawings. Each of these drawings
contains a family of related block definitions. When you insert a block library drawing into your current
drawing, all the blocks that are defined in that drawing become available.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: NOTES AND LABELS

Notes and Labels

Create notes, labels, bubbles, and callouts. Save and restorestyle All the usual controls are available in the In-Place Editor, including
settings by name. tabs, indents, and columns. Also notice that when youstart the MTEXT
command, the ribbon temporarily changes, displaying many options
You can create general notes using the MTEXT command (or enter such as text styles, columns, spell checking, and so on.
MT in the Command window), which stands for multiline text. The
multiline text tool is available on the Annotation panel. • To exit the text editor after you finish entering the text, click
anywhere outside it.

• To edit a note, simply double-click it to open the text editor.

Here’s a Tip:
You can use the Properties palette to control the text style used for
After you start the MTEXT command, you are prompted to
one or more selected multiline text objects. For example, after
create a “text box” with two diagonal clicks.
selecting five notes that use different styles,click the Style column and
choose a style from the list.

The exact size of the text box is not that important. After you specify
the text box, the In-Place Editor is displayed and you caneasily change
the length and width of the note before, during,or after typing the
text.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: NOTES AND LABELS

Create a Text Style

As with several other annotation features, multiline text providesa lot of When you create a new text style, you will give it a name and then
settings. You can save these settings as a text style choose a font and a font style. The order in which you clickthe buttons
using the STYLE command, and then you can access the text styles is shown below:
you’ve saved by clicking the drop-down arrow on the Annotation
panel. The current text style is displayed at the topof the drop-down
list.

To create a new text style, click the Text Style control as shown.

Here’s a Tip:
Save any new or changed text styles in your drawing
template files. This will save you time by making them
available in all new drawings.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: NOTES AND LABELS

Multileaders
Multileader objects are used to create text with leader lines suchas Grip menus appear when you hover over arrowhead and leadergrips.
general labels, reference labels, bubbles, and callouts. From these menus, you can add leader segments or additional leaders.

You can edit the text in a multileader by double-clicking it.

Create a Multileader
To create a multileader, use the MLEADER command. Click the
Multileader tool in the Annotation panel or enter MLD in the
Command window. Follow the prompts and options in the
Command window. Feel free to experiment.

After you create a multileader, select it and then modify it by

clicking and moving its grips.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: NOTES AND LABELS

Create a Multileader Style

You can create your own multileader styles from the drop-down list in the expanded Annotationpanel, or by
entering MLEADERSTYLE in the Command window.

NOTE: As with text styles, once you create

one or more multileader styles, save them in
your drawing template files.

For example, to create a “detail callout” style, start the MLEADERSTYLE command. In the Multileader
Styles Manager, click New and choose a descriptive name for the new multileader style.Click the Content tab,
choose Block, and then Detail Callout as shown.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: DIMENSIONS

Dimensions
Create several types of dimensions and save dimension settingsby name.

Here is an example of several types of dimensions using an

architectural dimension style with imperial units.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: DIMENSIONS

Linear Dimensions
You can create horizontal, vertical, aligned, and radial dimensions with the DIM command. Thetype of
dimension depends on the object that you select and the direction that you drag the dimension line.

The following illustration demonstrates one method for using the DIM command. Once you startthe
command, press Enter or the Spacebar, select the line (1), and then click the location of the dimension line
(2).

82
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: DIMENSIONS

Linear Dimensions (continued)

For the 8’-0” dimension below, you use another method. You start the DIM command, click two endpoints
(1 and 2) and then the location of the dimension line (3). To line up the dimension linespoint 3 was snapped
to the endpoint of the previously created dimension line.
Here’s a Tip:

If points 1 and 2 are not on the

same horizontal line, pressShift to
force the dimension line to be
horizontal. In addition, if the
building or part being
Use the DIM command to create dimensions that are parallel to an object by dragging thedimension line at dimensioned is at an angle, enter
an angle rather than horizontally or vertically. DIMROTATEDfor that case.

Another Tip:
Because it is easy to accidentally
snap to the wrongfeature or part
of a dimensionobject, be sure to
zoom
in closely enough to avoid
mistakes.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: DIMENSIONS

Modify Dimensions
For simple adjustments to dimensions, nothing is faster than using grips.

In this example, you select the dimension to display its grips. Next, click the grip on the dimensiontext and drag
it to a new location, or click one of the grips at the end of the dimension line anddrag the dimension line.

Here’s a Tip:
If the changes are more
complicated than this, it mightbe
faster simply to delete and then
recreate the dimension.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: DIMENSIONS

Dimension Styles
Dimension styles help establish and enforce drafting standards.There To open the Dimension Style Manager, click the indicated button. You
are many dimension variables that can be set with the DIMSTYLE can create dimension styles that match nearly any standard, but you will
command to control virtually every nuance of the appearance and need to invest time into specifying them completely. For this reason,
behavior of dimensions. All these settings are stored in each you should save any dimension stylesthat you create in one or more
dimension style. drawing template files.

The default dimension style is named either Standard (imperial) or

ISO-25 (metric). It is assigned to all dimensions until another style is
set as the current dimension style.

The current dimension style name, Hitchhiker in this case, isdisplayed

in the drop-down list of the Annotation panel.

Recommendations
When you save a dimension style, choose a descriptive name.

If applicable, check with your CAD manager regarding existing

dimension style standards and drawing template files.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PRINTING

Printing
Output a drawing layout to a printer, a plotter, or a file. Saveand As you can see, there are many settings and options available.
restore the printer settings for each layout.

Originally, people printed text from printers and plotted drawings

from plotters. Now, you can perform both with either device, so
this guide will use the terms ‘print’ and ‘plot’interchangeably.

The command to output a drawing is PLOT and you can accessit from
the Quick Access toolbar.

To display all of the options in the Plot dialog box, click the More
Options button.

For the sake of convenience, you can save and restore collections of
these settings by name. These are called page setups. With page setups
you can store the settings that youneed for different printers, printing in
grayscale, creating a PDFfile from your drawing, and so on.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PRINTING

Output to a PDF File

The following example shows you how to create a page setupfor The plot style table provides information about processing colors.
creating PDF files. Colors that look good on your monitor might not besuitable for a
PDF file or for printing. For example, you mightwant to create a
From the Printer/plotter drop-down list, choose AutoCAD PDF
drawing in color, but create monochrome output. Here is how you
(General Documentation).pc3:
specify monochrome output:

Next, choose the size and scale options that you want to use:

Paper Size: The orientation (portrait or landscape) is builtinto the

choices in the drop-down list.

Plot Area: You can clip the area to be plotted with theseoptions,
but typically everything will be plotted.

Plot Offset: This setting changes based on your printer, plotter, Here’s a Tip:
or other output. Try centering the plot or adjustingthe origin,
Always double-check your settings with the Preview option.
but remember that printers and plotters have abuilt-in margin
around the edges.

Plot Scale: Choose your plot scale from the drop-down list. A
scale such as 1/4” = 1’-0” is meant for printing to scale from
the Model tab. On a layout tab, you normally print at a 1:1
scale.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PRINTING

Output to a PDF File (continued)

After you are satisfied with your plot settings, save themto a
page setup with a descriptive name such as “PDF-
monochrome.” Then, whenever you want to output to aPDF
file, all you need to do is click Print, choose the PDF-
monochrome page setup, and click OK.

Recommendations
If you want to share a static image of your drawing, youcan
output a PDF file from a drawing file.

If you want to include additional data from your drawing,use

DWF (Design Web Format) files instead.

If you want to review an AutoCAD drawing file with a person

in a different location, consider using Autodesk A360 and the
AutoCAD 360 web and mobile applications,which you can
The resulting Preview window includes a toolbar with severalcontrols, access from the Autodesk website.
including Plot and Exit.