108 Part I AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Basics
Summary
This chapter explained setting up a drawing so that it behaves the way you want it to. You read about:
Setting the unit type
Setting the angle type, measure, and direction
Drawing limits
Using scales and calculating a scale factor
Setting drawing aids and creating a template that includes the settings that you want
Using MVSETUP (AutoCAD only) or the setup wizards to set up your drawing
This chapter ends Part I, “AutoCAD Basics.” Now that you know the basics, you can go on to Part II, “Drawing in Two Dimensions.” The next chapter covers drawing simple lines, polygons, rectangles, and infinite construction lines.
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Drawing in Two
Dimensions
Now that you have the basics under your belt, it’s time to draw! This part contains all the basic information you need for two-
dimensional drawing and design.
In Part II, you learn techniques for basic two-dimensional drawing and editing in AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. After I discuss drawing simple lines and curves, I explain how you can control the display of your drawings. You can also find chapters on creating text, drawing dimensions, and creating dimension styles. Separate chapters cover how you can obtain information from your drawing, and how to draw complex objects. Part II winds down with a chapter on plotting and printing.
P A R T
II
In This Part
Chapter 6
Drawing Simple Lines
Chapter 7
Drawing
Curves and Points
Chapter 8
Viewing Your Drawing
Chapter 9
Editing Your Drawing:
Basic Tools
Chapter 10
Editing Your Drawing:
Advanced Tools
Chapter 11
Organizing Drawings with Layers, Colors, Linetypes, and Lineweights
Chapter 12
Obtaining Information from Your Drawing
Chapter 13
Creating Text
Chapter 14
Drawing Dimensions
Chapter 15
Creating Dimension
Styles and Tolerances
Chapter 16
Drawing Complex
Objects
Chapter 17
Plotting and Printing
Your Drawing
Drawing Simple
Lines
Lines are the most commonly drawn object in AutoCAD — you’ll use the LINE command a lot! Related commands for drawing rect-
angles, polygons, and construction lines are also important, so you should have all of these commands in your arsenal. This chapter explains how to draw all these types of objects.
Using the LINE Command
The LINE command draws straight line segments. Part I included several exercises in which you drew lines. However, the LINE command has several options, and you can still learn a few tricks of the trade by focusing on the actual LINE command.
To draw a line, choose Line from the Draw toolbar. At the Specify first point: prompt, specify any point. Continue to
specify points until you’re finished. Press Enter to end the command. You can also right-click and choose Enter from the shortcut menu. The LINE command assumes that you will continue to use it over and over. For this reason, the command continues to prompt you until you press Enter.
If you continue to draw line segments, the subsequent prompts are different. Here’s how to use them:
The command displays the Specify next point or [Undo]: prompt for the next two segments. Right-click (or press the
down-arrow key if you have Dynamic Input on) and choose Undo (or type u ) to undo only the last line segment that you created — without exiting the LINE command.
After creating at least two line segments, the command displays the Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: prompt.
Right-click (or press the down-arrow key if you have Dynamic Input on) and choose Close (or type c ) to automatically draw a line from the endpoint of the last segment to the original start point, thereby creating a closed figure. You can continue to use the Undo option as well.
If you previously drew a line, press Enter at the Specify first point: prompt to start the line at the endpoint of the last line. If you most recently drew an arc, press Enter to start the line at the endpoint of the arc and draw it tangent to the arc.
C 6H A P T E R
In This Chapter
Using the LINE command
Drawing rectangles
Drawing polygons
Creating construction lines
Creating rays