Course: Section:

Name: Date Performed:

Instructor: Date Submitted:

LABORATORY ACTIVITY NO.2

AUTOCAD BASIC COMMANDS

1. Objective(s):
The activity aims to:
1. Introduce the basic commands of AutoCAD
2. Explore the functionality of the basic commands of AutoCAD
2. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs):

The students shall be able to:

1. Use of create object commands

2. Use of edit/modify object commands
3. Use view object commands
4. Apply create, edit and modify commands

3. Discussion:

In AutoCAD, there are two important facts; (1) on a typical workday, 95% of AutoCAD drafting
time is spent, using only 5% of the available commands, over and over again, and (2) even the most
complex drawing is essentially made up of only a few basic fundamentals objects that appear over and
over again in various combinations on the screen.
Below are the list of fundamental objects:
1. Line
2. Circle
3. Arc
4. Rectangle

These four objects, in large quantities, make up the vast majority of a typical design. With the
four mentioned object, next to do is to edit/modify them. Below are the edit/modify objects:
1. Erase 6. Trim
2. Move 7. Extend
3. Copy 8. Offset
4. Rotate 9. Mirror
5. Scale 10. Fillet

With AutoCAD, unlike paper hand drafting, you do not always see your whole design in front of
you. Below are the view object commands:
1. Zoom
2. Pan
3. Regen

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4. Resources:

Computer with installed AutoCAD Software

5. Procedure and Output

A. Create Objects Commands

1. Line

Keyboard: Type in line and press Enter

Cascading menus: Draw Line
`

Toolbar icon: Draw toolbar

Ribbon: Home tab Line

Step 1. Begin the line command via any of the preceding methods.
o AutoCAD says: Specify first point:
Step 2. Using the mouse, left-click anywhere on the screen.
o AutoCAD says: Specify next point or [Undo]:
Step 3. Move the mouse elsewhere on the screen and left-click again. You can repeat Step 2 as
many times as you wish. When you are done, click Enter or Esc.

Draw a line using the four ways as given above. Show your output below:

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2. Circle

Keyboard: Type in circle and press Enter

Cascading menus: Draw Circle Center, Radius
`

Toolbar icon: Draw toolbar

Ribbon: Home tab Circle

Step 1. Begin the circle command via any of the preceding methods.
o AutoCAD says: Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]:
Step 2. Using the mouse, left-click anywhere on the screen and move the mouse out away from
that point.
o AutoCAD says: Specify radius of circle or [Diameter] <1.9801>:
Notice the circle that forms; it varies in size with the movement of your mouse. The value
in brackets may of course be different in your case.
Step 3. Left-click to finish the circle command.

The method just used to create the circle is called Center, Radius, and you could specify an exact
radius if you wish, by just typing in a value after the first click. There are six ways to create circles
as seen with the Ribbon and cascading menus below

Figure 2.1 Cascading menus for creating a circle

Try the six ways to create circles. What did you notice?
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 3. Arc

Keyboard: Type in arc and press Enter

Cascading menus: Draw Arc 3 Points
`

Toolbar icon: Draw toolbar

Ribbon: Home tab Arc

Step 1. Begin the arc command via any of the preceding methods.
o AutoCAD says: Specify start point for arc or [Center]:
Step 2. Left-click with the mouse anywhere on the screen. This is the first of three points necessary
for the arc.
o AutoCAD says: Specify second point of arc or [Center]:
Step 3. Click somewhere else on the screen to place the second point.
o AutoCAD says: Specify end point of arc:
Step 4. Left-click a third (final) time, somewhere else on the screen, to finish the arc.

The method just used to create the arc is called 3 Point. There are eleven ways to create arcs as
seen with the Ribbon and cascading menus below

Try the 11 ways to create arc. What did you notice?

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Figure 2.2 Cascading menus for creating an arc

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 4. Rectangle

Keyboard: Type in rectangle and press Enter

Cascading menus: Draw Rectangle
`

Toolbar icon: Draw toolbar

Ribbon: Home tab Rectangle

Step 1. Begin the rectangle command via any of the preceding methods.
o AutoCAD says: Specify first corner point or
[Chamfer/Elevation/Fillet/Thickness/Width]:
Step 2. Left-click and move the mouse diagonally somewhere else on the screen.
o AutoCAD says: Specify other corner point or[Area/Dimensions/Rotation]:
Step 3. Left-click one more time to finish the command.

Try all the options in creating rectangle [Area/Dimensions/Rotation]. What did you notice?
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B. View Objects

1. Zoom
Put your finger on the mouse wheel and turn it back and forth without pressing down. The house you
just created gets smaller (roll back) or large (roll forward) on the screen. Another way to zoom is using
toolbar icon (magnifying glass) and type in zoom or z in the command line and press Enter.

Doing the zoom, is there any change in the object? ___________________

If yes why?
__________________________________________________________________________________

2. Pan
Put your finger on the mouse wheel, but this time press and hold. A hand symbol appears. Now move
the mouse around while keeping the wheel depressed. You are able to pan around your drawing.
Another way to pan is using toolbar icon (hand)

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 Doing the pan, is there any change in the object? ___________________
If yes why?
____________________________________________________________________________

3. Regen
Just type in regen and press Enter, the screen refreshes. Try to type in regen in the command line.
What happen?
______________________________________________________________________________

C. Edit/Modify Objects Command

1. Erase
Keyboard: Type in erase and press Enter
Cascading menus: Modify Erase

Toolbar icon: Modify toolbar

Ribbon: Home tab Erase

Step 1. Begin the erase command via any of the preceding methods.
o AutoCAD says: Select objects:
Step 2. Select any object by taking the mouse, positioning it over that object (not in the empty
space) and left-clicking once.
o AutoCAD says: Select objects: 1 found. The object becomes dashed. It
means the objects were selected. AutoCAD continues to ask you: Select
objects: Watch out for this step. AutoCAD always asks this, in case you want to
select more objects.
Step 3. Press Enter and the object disappears

2. Move
1. Draw a circle as shown in figure 3.4.
2. Perform move command using the different methods:

Keyboard: Type in move and press Enter

Cascading menus: Modify Move

Toolbar icon: Modify toolbar

Ribbon: Home tab Move

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 Step 1. Begin the move command via any of the preceding methods.
o AutoCAD says: Select objects:
Step 2. Select any object by positioning the mouse over that object (not in the empty space)
and left-clicking once.
o AutoCAD says: Select objects: 1 found. The object becomes dashed. It
means the objects were selected.
o AutoCAD continues to ask you: Select objects: Watch out for this
step. AutoCAD always asks this, in case you want to select more objects.
Step 3. Unless you have more than one object to move, you are done, so press Enter.
o AutoCAD says: Specify base point or [Displacement] <Displacement>:
Step 4. Left-click anywhere on or near the objects to “pick it up”; this is where you are moving
it from.
o AutoCAD says: Specify second point or <use first point as displacement>:
Step 5. Move the mouse somewhere else on the screen and left-click to place the object in the
new location. This is where you are moving it to. Figure below shows the Move
command in progress.

Figure 3.4 Move command in progress

In applying move command to an object, does the object remains in the same location of the
drawing area?
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Which step that gives the movement location of the object?

___________________________________________________________________________

3. Copy
1. Draw a circle as shown in figure 3.5.
2. Perform copy command using the different methods:
Keyboard: Type in copy and press Enter
Cascading menus: Modify Copy

Toolbar icon: Modify toolbar

Ribbon: Home tab Copy

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 Step 1. Begin the copy command via any of the preceding methods.
o AutoCAD says: Select objects:
Step 2. Select any object by positioning the mouse over that object (not in the empty space)
and left-clicking once.
o AutoCAD says: Select objects: 1 found. The object becomes dashed. It
means the objects were selected.
o AutoCAD continues to ask you: Select objects: Watch out for this
step. AutoCAD always asks this, in case you want to select more objects.
Step 3. Unless you have more than one object to move, you are done, so press Enter.
o AutoCAD says: Specify base point or [Displacement/mode] <Displacement>:
Step 4. Left-click anywhere on or near the objects to “pick it up”; this is where you are copying
it from.
o AutoCAD says: Specify second point or <use first point as displacement>:
Step 5. Move the mouse somewhere else on the screen and left-click to copy the object in the
new location. This is where you are copying it to. Notice that a dashed copy of the
object remains in its original location until you complete the command. You can copy
as many times as you want. Figure below shows the Copy command in progress.

Figure 3.5. Copy command in progress

Using the copy command, were you able to produce several copies of the object in just one
copy command? ___________________________

4. Rotate
1. Draw a rectangle as shown in figure 3.6a.
2. Perform rotate command using the different methods:
Keyboard: Type in rotate and press Enter
Cascading menus: Modify Rotate

Toolbar icon: Modify toolbar

Ribbon: Home tab Rotate

Step 1. Begin the copy command via any of the preceding methods.
o AutoCAD says: Current positive angle in UCS: ANGDIR=counterclockwise
ANGBASE=0, and on the next line: Select objects:
Step 2. Select any object by positioning the mouse over that object (not in the empty space)
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 and left-clicking once.
o AutoCAD says: Select objects: 1 found. The object becomes dashed. It
means the objects were selected. Then press Enter
o AutoCAD says: Specify base point: This means select the pivot point of
the object’s rotation (the point about which it rotates). If you select a circle for your
object, try to stay away from the center point, as your rotation efforts may be less than
obvious.
Step 3. Click anywhere on or near the selected object.
o AutoCAD says: Specify rotation angle or [Copy/Reference] <0>:
Step 4. Move the mouse around in a wide circle and the object rotates. Notice how the motion
gets smoother as you move the mouse farther away. You can click anywhere for a
random rotation angle or you can type in a specific numerical degree value. Figure
below shows the Rotate command in progress.

Figure 3.6a. Before the Rotate command Figure 3.6b. Rotate command in progress

Figure 3.6c After the Rotate command

Up to what degrees a rotate command can do?

__________________________________________________________________________

5. Scale
1. Draw a rectangle as shown figure 3.7a.
2. Perform scale command using the different methods:
Keyboard: Type in scale and press Enter
Cascading menus: Modify Scale

Toolbar icon: Modify toolbar

Ribbon: Home tab Rotate

Step 1. Begin the scale command via any of the preceding methods.
o AutoCAD says: Select objects:
Step 2. Select any object by positioning the mouse over that object (not in the empty space)
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 and left-clicking once.
o AutoCAD says: Select objects: 1 found. The object becomes dashed. It
means the objects were selected. Then press Enter
o AutoCAD says: Specify base point: This means select the point from
which the scaling of the object (up or down) is to occur.
Step 3. Click somewhere on or near the object or directly in the middle of it..
o AutoCAD says: Specify scale factor or [Copy/Reference] <1.000>:
Step 4. Move the mouse around the screen. You can randomly scale it or enter a numerical
value.

Figure 3.7a. Before the scale command Figure 3.7b. scale command in progress

When you move your mouse around the screen, what happened to the object?
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6. Trim
1. Draw two intersecting lines, one horizontal and two vertical lines as shown in figure 3.8a.

Figure 3.8a. intersecting line

2. Perform trim command using the different methods:

Keyboard: Type in trim and press Enter
Cascading menus: Modify Trim

Toolbar icon: Modify toolbar

Ribbon: Home tab Trim

Step 1. Begin the trim command via any of the preceding methods.
o AutoCAD says: Current settings: Projectin = UCS, Edge = None
Select cutting edges….
Select objects or <select all>
Step 2. Left-click on one of the lines. You can choose the vertical or horizontal, it does not
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 matter. This is your cutting edge. The other line, the one you did not pick, is trimmed at
the intersection point of the two lines. The cutting edge line becomes dashed.
o AutoCAD says: Select objects or <select all>: 1 found.
Step 3. Press Enter. .
o AutoCAD says: Select object to trim or shift-select to extend or
[Fence/Crossing/Project/Edge/eRase/Undo]:
Step 4. Go ahead and pick anywhere on the line that you did not yet select and it is trimmed.

Figure 8b. Trim command in progress Figure 8c. After the trim command

In applying trim command, what the two things to avoid mistakes?

1. _______________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________

7. Extend
1. Draw two intersecting lines as shown in figure 9a

Figure 9a. Two intersecting line

2. Use the move command to relocate the vertical line directly to the right as shown in figure 9b.

Figure 9b. After the Move command

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 3. Perform Extend command using the different methods:
Keyboard: Type in extend and press Enter
Cascading menus: Modify Extend

Toolbar icon: Modify toolbar

Ribbon: Home tab Extend

Step 1. Begin the extend command via any of the preceding methods.
o AutoCAD says: Current settings: Projectin = UCS, Edge = None
Select cutting edges….
Select objects or <select all>
Step 2. At this point, left-click on one on the vertical line. This is the target into which you extend
the horizontal line. It becomes dashed.
o AutoCAD says: Select objects: 1 found.
Step 3. Press Enter. .
o AutoCAD says: Select object to extend or shift-select to trim
or [Fence/Crossing/Project/Edge/Undo]:
Step 4. Pick the end of the horizontal line that is closest to the vertical line. The arrow is what
extends into the vertical line target.
Step 5. Press Enter.

Figure 9c. Extend command in progress Figure 9d. After the extend command
Applying scale command in figure 9b, what happened?
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What is the difference between scale and extend command?

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8. Offset
1. Draw a vertical line anywhere on your screen as shown in figure 10a.

Figure 10a. vertical line

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2. Perform Offset command using the different methods:
Keyboard: Type in offset and press Enter
Cascading menus: Modify Offset

Toolbar icon: Modify toolbar

Ribbon: Home tab Offset

Step 1. Begin the offset command via any of the preceding methods.
o AutoCAD says: Specify offset distance or [Through/Erase/Layer] <Through>:
Step 2. Enter an offset value (use a small number for now, 2 or 3). Then press Enter.
o AutoCAD says: Select object to offset or [Exit/undo] <Exit>:
Step 3. Pick up the line by left-clicking on it; the line becomes dashed.
o AutoCAD says: Specify point on side to offset or
[Exit/Multiple/Undo] <Exit>:
Step 4. Pick a direction for the line to go, which is to one of the two sides of the original line. It
does not matter exactly how far away from the original line you click, as the distance
has already been specified.

Figure 10b. Offset command in progress

Applying offset command in figure 10b, what happened?

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____________________________________________________________________________

Applying copy command in figure 10b, is there any difference in the output to offset command
output? ____
If yes, what is it?_______________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
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9. Mirror
1. Draw a triangle by joining three lines together, as seen in figure 11a.

Figure 11a. Triangle by joining three lines

2. Perform Mirror command using the different methods:

Keyboard: Type in mirror and press Enter
Cascading menus: Modify Mirror

Toolbar icon: Modify toolbar

`

Ribbon: Home tab Mirror

Step 1. Begin the mirror command via any of the preceding methods.
o AutoCAD says: Select objects:
Step 2. Select all three line of the triangle and press Enter.
o AutoCAD says: Specify first point of mirror line:
Step 3. Click anywhere near the triangle and move the mouse around. You notice the new
object appears to be anchored by one point. This is the swinging mirror reflection.
o AutoCAD says: Specify second point of mirror line:
Step 4. Click again near the object (make the second click follow an imaginary straight line
down) You notice the new object disappear. Don’t panic; rather check what the
command line says:
o AutoCAD says: Delete source objects? [Yes/No] <N>:
Step 5. The response in Step 4 just asked you if you want to keep the original object. If you do
(the most common response), then just press Enter and you are done.

Figure 11b. Mirror command in progress

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 What happened if your answer to Step 4 is No?
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What happened if your answer to Step 4 is Yes?

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10. Fillet
1. Draw two perpendicular lines that intersect, as seen in figure 12a.

Figure 12a. Two intersecting perpendicular lines

2. Perform Fillet command using the different methods:

Keyboard: Type in fillet and press Enter
Cascading menus: Modify Fillet

Toolbar icon: Modify toolbar

`

Ribbon: Home tab Fillet

Step 1. Begin the mirror command via any of the preceding methods.
o AutoCAD says: Current settings: MODE = TRIM, RADIUS = 0.000
Select first object or
[Undo/Polyline/Radius/Trim/Multiple]:

Step 2. Put a radius on the fillet. Type in r for radius and press Enter. .
o AutoCAD says: Specify fillet radius <0.000>:
Step 3. Enter 1, then press Enter.
o AutoCAD says: Select first objet or
[Undo/Polyline/Radius/Trim/Multiple]:
Step 4. Select the first (horizontal) line, somewhere near the intersection. It becomes dashed
as shown in figure 12b.

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 Figure 12b. Step 4 output

o AutoCAD says: Select second object or shift-select to apply corner or

[Radius]:
Step 5. As your mouse moves toward the second (vertical) line, you see a preview of the
resulting fillet (if fillet is valid) as shown in figure 12c.

Figure 12c. Step 5 Fillet command on progress Figure 12d. Output of Fillet command

Try the following radius and show the result of the fillet command:

At radius 0:

At radius 2:

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Activity 1:
Create the drawing shown in figure 3 below. Apply the create objects commands. Do not worry about
sizing and accuracy. What matters is the application of the create objects commands. Before doing the
figure, UNDO, ESC commands should be known.

Undo
If something happened that you did not want to do and wished you could go back a step or two, use
undo command by typing in undo or u in the command line and press Enter.

ESC
Esc key get you out of any mistakes you make and returns you to the basic command line.

Figure2.3 House

Record every command given to AutoCAD on the space provided below. Commands are seen in the
command line.

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6. Conclusion:

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7. Assessment (Rubric for Laboratory Performance):

BEGINNER ACCEPTABLE PROFICIENT
Intended Learning Outcomes SCORE
1 2 3

Has difficulty in
Was able create
Was not able to using creating
Use of create object commands in objects without
use create object objects; needs
creating objects difficulty and
commands in supervision of
supervision of the
creating objects the faculty
faculty member
member

Has difficulty in
Was able to
editing/modifying
edit/modify objects
Fails to edit/modify objects; needs
Use of edit/modify object commands without difficulty
objects supervision of
and supervision of
the faculty
the faculty member
member
Has difficulty in
using view Use view
Was not able to commands; commands without
Use of view commands use view needs difficulty and
commands supervision with supervision of the
the faculty faculty member
member
Other comments/observation:
TOTAL SCORE

RATING = (total score) x 100%

3

Evaluated By: Date:

Faculty Member

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