- •Contents
- •Contents at a Glance
- •Acknowledgments
- •Preface
- •Is This Book for You?
- •How This Book Is Organized
- •How to Use This Book
- •Doing the Exercises
- •Conventions Used in This Book
- •What the Icons Mean
- •About the CD-ROM
- •Other Information
- •Contacting the Author
- •Foreword
- •Credits
- •About the Author
- •Summary
- •AutoCAD’s Advantages
- •Comparing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT
- •Starting AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT
- •Creating a New Drawing
- •Using the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Interface
- •Creating a New Folder
- •Using the Interface
- •Saving a Drawing
- •Closing a Drawing and Exiting from AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT
- •Summary
- •Creating a New Drawing from a Template
- •Working with Templates
- •Opening a Drawing with Default Settings
- •Opening an Existing Drawing
- •Using an Existing Drawing as a Prototype
- •Saving a Drawing Under a New Name
- •Summary
- •The Command Line and Dynamic Input
- •Command Techniques
- •Of Mice and Pucks
- •Getting Help
- •Summary
- •Typing Coordinates
- •Displaying Coordinates
- •Picking Coordinates on the Screen
- •Overriding Coordinate Settings
- •Locating Points
- •Summary
- •Choosing Unit Types
- •Drawing Limits
- •Understanding Scales
- •Creating a Title Block
- •Specifying Common Setup Options
- •Customizing with the MVSETUP Command
- •Using the Setup Wizards
- •Summary
- •Using the LINE Command
- •Drawing Rectangles
- •Drawing Polygons
- •Creating Construction Lines
- •Creating Rays
- •Summary
- •Drawing Circles
- •Drawing Arcs
- •Creating Ellipses and Elliptical Arcs
- •Making Donuts
- •Placing Points
- •Summary
- •Panning
- •Using the ZOOM Command
- •Using Aerial View
- •Saving Named Views
- •Working with Tiled Viewports
- •Using Snap Rotation
- •Understanding User Coordinate Systems
- •Creating Isometric Drawings
- •Summary
- •Editing a Drawing
- •Selecting Objects
- •Summary
- •Copying and Moving Objects
- •Resizing Commands
- •Using Construction Commands
- •Creating a Revision Cloud
- •Hiding Objects with a Wipeout
- •Double-Clicking to Edit Objects
- •Grips
- •Editing with the Properties Palette
- •Selection Filters
- •Groups
- •Summary
- •Working with Layers
- •Changing Object Color, Linetype, and Lineweight
- •Working with Linetype Scales
- •Importing Layers and Linetypes from Other Drawings
- •Matching Properties
- •Summary
- •Drawing-Level Information
- •Object-Level Information
- •Measurement Commands
- •AutoCAD’s Calculator
- •Summary
- •Creating Single-Line Text
- •Understanding Text Styles
- •Creating Multiline Text
- •Creating Tables
- •Inserting Fields
- •Managing Text
- •Finding Text in Your Drawing
- •Checking Your Spelling
- •Customizing the spelling dictionary
- •Summary
- •Working with Dimensions
- •Drawing Linear Dimensions
- •Drawing Aligned Dimensions
- •Creating Baseline and Continued Dimensions
- •Dimensioning Arcs and Circles
- •Dimensioning Angles
- •Creating Ordinate Dimensions
- •Drawing Leaders
- •Using Quick Dimension
- •Editing Dimensions
- •Summary
- •Understanding Dimension Styles
- •Defining a New Dimension Style
- •Changing Dimension Styles
- •Creating Geometric Tolerances
- •Summary
- •Creating and Editing Polylines
- •Drawing and Editing Splines
- •Creating Regions
- •Creating Boundaries
- •Creating Hatches
- •Creating and Editing Multilines
- •Creating Dlines
- •Using the SKETCH Command
- •Digitizing Drawings with the TABLET Command
- •Summary
- •Preparing a Drawing for Plotting or Printing
- •Creating a Layout in Paper Space
- •Working with Plot Styles
- •Plotting a Drawing
- •Summary
- •Combining Objects into Blocks
- •Inserting Blocks and Files into Drawings
- •Managing Blocks
- •Creating and Using Dynamic Blocks
- •Using Windows Features
- •Working with Attributes
- •Summary
- •Understanding External References
- •Editing an Xref within Your Drawing
- •Controlling Xref Display
- •Managing Xrefs
- •Summary
- •Preparing for Database Connectivity
- •Connecting to Your Database
- •Linking Data to Drawing Objects
- •Creating Labels
- •Querying with the Query Editor
- •Working with Query Files
- •Summary
- •Working with 3D Coordinates
- •Using Elevation and Thickness
- •Working with the User Coordinate System
- •Summary
- •Working with the Standard Viewpoints
- •Using DDVPOINT
- •Working with the Tripod and Compass
- •Displaying a Quick Plan View
- •Shading Your Drawing
- •Using 3D Orbit
- •Using Tiled Viewports
- •Defining a Perspective View
- •Laying Out 3D Drawings
- •Summary
- •Drawing Surfaces with 3DFACE
- •Drawing Surfaces with PFACE
- •Creating Polygon Meshes with 3DMESH
- •Drawing Standard 3D Shapes
- •Drawing a Revolved Surface
- •Drawing an Extruded Surface
- •Drawing Ruled Surfaces
- •Drawing Edge Surfaces
- •Summary
- •Drawing Standard Shapes
- •Creating Extruded Solids
- •Drawing Revolved Solids
- •Creating Complex Solids
- •Sectioning and Slicing Solids
- •Using Editing Commands in 3D
- •Editing Solids
- •Listing Solid Properties
- •Summary
- •Understanding Rendering
- •Creating Lights
- •Creating Scenes
- •Working with Materials
- •Using Backgrounds
- •Doing the Final Render
- •Summary
- •Accessing Drawing Components with the DesignCenter
- •Accessing Drawing Content with Tool Palettes
- •Setting Standards for Drawings
- •Organizing Your Drawings
- •Working with Sheet Sets
- •Maintaining Security
- •Keeping Track of Referenced Files
- •Handling Errors and Crashes
- •Managing Drawings from Prior Releases
- •Summary
- •Importing and Exporting Other File Formats
- •Working with Raster Images
- •Pasting, Linking, and Embedding Objects
- •Summary
- •Sending Drawings
- •Opening Drawings from the Web
- •Creating Object Hyperlinks
- •Publishing Drawings
- •Summary
- •Working with Customizable Files
- •Creating Keyboard Shortcuts for Commands
- •Customizing Toolbars
- •Customizing Tool Palettes
- •Summary
- •Creating Macros with Script Files
- •Creating Slide Shows
- •Creating Slide Libraries
- •Summary
- •Creating Linetypes
- •Creating Hatch Patterns
- •Summary
- •Creating Shapes
- •Creating Fonts
- •Summary
- •Working with the Customization File
- •Customizing a Menu
- •Summary
- •Introducing Visual LISP
- •Getting Help in Visual LISP
- •Working with AutoLISP Expressions
- •Using AutoLISP on the Command Line
- •Creating AutoLISP Files
- •Summary
- •Creating Variables
- •Working with AutoCAD Commands
- •Working with Lists
- •Setting Conditions
- •Managing Drawing Objects
- •Getting Input from the User
- •Putting on the Finishing Touches
- •Summary
- •Understanding Local and Global Variables
- •Working with Visual LISP ActiveX Functions
- •Debugging Code
- •Summary
- •Starting to Work with VBA
- •Writing VBA Code
- •Getting User Input
- •Creating Dialog Boxes
- •Modifying Objects
- •Debugging and Trapping Errors
- •Moving to Advanced Programming
- •Summary
- •A Final Word
- •Installing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT
- •Configuring and Using Workspaces
- •Configuring AutoCAD
- •Starting AutoCAD Your Way
- •Configuring a Plotter
- •Discovering AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT
- •Accessing Technical Support
- •Autodesk User Groups
- •Internet Resources
- •System Requirements
- •Using the CD-ROM with Microsoft Windows
- •What’s on the CD-ROM
- •Troubleshooting
- •Index
560 Part III Working with Data
28.Click the armchair’s move grip and move the chair to the left so that it is still centered in front of the computer.
29.Click the monitor’s lookup grip and choose 19” monitor from the drop-down list. The monitor becomes wider.
30.Click the phone’s visibility grip and choose No phone from the drop-down list. The phone disappears.
31.Continue to experiment with the grips to see all of the possible variations. You do not need to save this drawing.
Using Windows Features
You can insert objects by copying them from other drawings and pasting them into your current drawing or using the drag-and-drop feature. You may be able to insert objects in this way without creating blocks.
Manipulating objects with the Windows Clipboard
You’re probably familiar with cutting or copying data in other Windows applications and then pasting it, either within a file or from file to file. Table 18-4 compares copying, using blocks, and using the Clipboard with the CUTCLIP, COPYCLIP, and PASTECLIP commands.
Table 18-4: Comparison of Methods of
Moving/Copying Objects
Method |
Features |
|
|
MOVE/COPY |
Precise placement of objects; only works within a drawing. |
BLOCK/WBLOCK/INSERT |
Precise placement of objects; can scale and rotate; creates block |
|
definition; can insert many times, even after other commands; can insert |
|
files (other drawings) that you save permanently. With the DesignCenter |
|
or Tools palette, you can insert blocks from other drawings. |
CUTCLIP/COPYCLIP/PASTECLIP |
No precise placement of objects (uses bottom-left corner of extents of |
|
object(s) that you copy); creates anonymous block in file with a name |
|
like A$CE314; can scale and rotate; can both move and copy objects; |
|
can insert (paste) many times; can copy from drawing to drawing or to |
|
other Windows applications. |
|
|
In general, for one-time moving or copying with a drawing, you should use the MOVE or COPY command. If you want to copy an object several times over a period of time, use a BLOCK command. Use the Clipboard when you want to insert objects into another drawing one or more times without saving the objects. Also, the Clipboard is indispensable for copying objects to other applications.
To place objects on the Clipboard, first select them. To move them, choose Cut to Clipboard on the Standard toolbar. To copy them, choose Copy to
Clipboard. You can paste objects that you’ve copied to the Clipboard into the same drawing
Chapter 18 Working with Blocks and Attributes |
561 |
as a block using the PASTEBLOCK command; right-click and choose Paste as Block. If you want to paste the objects in another drawing, open that drawing. Choose Paste from Clipboard on the Standard toolbar. The command line prompts you for an insertion point.
Cross- |
Chapter 27 covers moving and copying objects to other applications. |
Reference |
|
Using drag-and-drop
The drag-and-drop feature in Windows enables you to drag another drawing file into your drawing. Your drawing then prompts you as it would if you inserted the file using the -INSERT command. You need to open either My Computer or Windows Explorer. In the following steps, I use Windows Explorer.
To insert a drawing file using drag-and-drop, follow these steps:
1.Open Windows Explorer (Choose Start (All)Programs Accessories Windows Explorer).
2.In the Folders window, click the folder containing the drawing file that you want to insert.
3.Locate the drawing file.
•If the drawing window is visible, drag the drawing file into the AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT window.
•If the drawing window is not visible, drag the drawing file onto the AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT button on the task bar, wait for your drawing to appear, and then drag the file into the drawing window.
4.Respond to the prompts of the -INSERT command on the command line.
|
When you drag the file into the drawing area, you see a plus sign at the cursor (or a rectangular |
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cursor, depending on your operating system), indicating that you can drop the file. |
|
To open a drawing file instead of inserting it, drag the file onto the application title bar at the |
|
very top of the application window, or simply double-click its icon in Windows Explorer. If you |
|
drag with the right-mouse button, when you release the mouse button in the drawing area, |
|
you have some additional options to create an external reference (Create Xref) or to create a |
|
hyperlink. |
Tip |
If you really don’t know where the file is, or you’re not even sure of its name, use the Windows |
|
Find feature. Choose Start Search( For Files or Folders). On the screen that appears, set the |
|
criteria for the file. For example, you could find all drawing names that start with the letter C by |
|
typing c*.dwg in the Named text box. From the resulting list, choose the drawing that you |
|
want, and drag it onto your drawing using the same steps listed previously. |
|
Drag-and-drop is easy to use. It’s a helpful tool if you aren’t sure where the file that you want |
|
is located because it’s easier to navigate with Windows Explorer than from the Select Drawing |
|
File dialog box. |
|
You can also drag an object from one drawing to another. First open both drawings. It helps to |
|
be able to see them both at once. Choose Window Tile Vertically to see them side-by-side. |
|
Select the object or objects that you want to copy. Now click the object or objects again, and |
|
hold down the mouse button until the cursor displays a small rectangle. Then drag the object(s) |
|
to the other drawing. |
562 Part III Working with Data
On the |
The drawings that you need for the following exercise on using the Windows Clipboard and |
CD-ROM |
drag-and-drop, ab18-g-1.dwg and ab18-g-2.dwg, are in the Drawings folder on the |
|
CD-ROM. |
STEPS: Using the Windows Clipboard and Drag-and-Drop
1.Open ab18-g-1.dwg from the CD-ROM. This is a set of office furniture, as shown in Figure 18-28.
Figure 18-28: A set of office furniture.
2.
Pick the chair, which is a block, and choose Copy from the Standard toolbar.
3.Choose Open from the Standard toolbar. Open ab18-g-2.dwg from the CD-ROM. This is the plan of an office building, as shown in Figure 18-15.
4.Save the drawing as ab18-07.dwg in your AutoCAD Bible folder.
5.Choose Paste from the Standard toolbar. At the Specify insertion point: prompt, pick 1 in Figure 18-29. This action inserts the armchair in the lobby
using the default scale and rotation.
6.Choose Window Tile Vertically. You can now see both drawings at once. Click in ab18-g-1.dwg to activate it. Select the chair. Click and hold the left-mouse button on the chair again until you see the small rectangle at the cursor. Drag the chair into ab18-07.dwg and place it next to the first chair.
7.Click the Close button of ab18-g-1.dwg. (You don’t need to save any changes.) Click the Maximize button of ab18-07.dwg.
8.From the task bar menu, choose Start (All) Programs Accessories Windows Explorer. Locate ab18-g-1.dwg on the CD-ROM. If necessary, resize the Exploring window so that you can see some of the drawing window.
9.Drag ab18-g-1.dwg from its listing in Windows Explorer onto the drawing area, and release the mouse button.
10.Use Zoom Window to zoom in to the area around 2 in Figure 18-29. At the prompt, pick 2.
11.Press Enter three times to accept the defaults and insert the entire drawing.
12.Choose Zoom Previous from the Standard toolbar. Save your drawing. It should look like Figure 18-30.
Chapter 18 Working with Blocks and Attributes |
563 |
1
2
Figure 18-29: The office plan.
As you can see, copying to the Clipboard is ideal when you want to insert part of an existing drawing into another drawing. Drag-and-drop is also a simple way to insert one or more objects or an entire drawing.
Figure 18-30: The office plan with added chairs and office furniture.