- •About the Authors
- •Dedication
- •Authors’ Acknowledgments
- •Table of Contents
- •Introduction
- •What’s Not (And What Is) in This Book
- •Mac attack!
- •Who Do We Think You Are?
- •How This Book Is Organized
- •Part I: AutoCAD 101
- •Part II: Let There Be Lines
- •Part III: If Drawings Could Talk
- •Part IV: Advancing with AutoCAD
- •Part V: On a 3D Spree
- •Part VI: The Part of Tens
- •But wait . . . there’s more!
- •Icons Used in This Book
- •A Few Conventions — Just in Case
- •Commanding from the keyboard
- •Tying things up with the Ribbon
- •Where to Go from Here
- •Why AutoCAD?
- •The Importance of Being DWG
- •Seeing the LT
- •Checking System Requirements
- •Suddenly, It’s 2013!
- •AutoCAD Does Windows (And Office)
- •And They’re Off: AutoCAD’s Opening Screens
- •Running with Ribbons
- •Getting with the Program
- •Looking for Mr. Status Bar
- •Let your fingers do the talking: The command window
- •The key(board) to AutoCAD success
- •Keeping tabs on palettes
- •Down the main stretch: The drawing area
- •Fun with F1
- •A Simple Setup
- •Drawing a (Base) Plate
- •Drawing rectangles on the right layers
- •Circling your plate
- •Nuts to you
- •Getting a Closer Look with Zoom and Pan
- •Modifying to Make It Merrier
- •Hip-hip-array!
- •Stretching out
- •Crossing your hatches
- •Following the Plot
- •A Setup Roadmap
- •Choosing your units
- •Weighing up your scales
- •Thinking annotatively
- •Thinking about paper
- •Defending your border
- •A Template for Success
- •Making the Most of Model Space
- •Setting your units
- •Making the drawing area snap-py (and grid-dy)
- •Setting linetype and dimension scales
- •Entering drawing properties
- •Making Templates Your Own
- •Setting Up a Layout in Paper Space
- •Will that be tabs or buttons?
- •View layouts Quick(View)ly
- •Creating a layout
- •Copying and changing layouts
- •Lost in paper space
- •Spaced out
- •A view(port) for drawing in
- •About Paper Space Layouts and Plotting
- •Managing Your Properties
- •Layer one on me!
- •Accumulating properties
- •Creating new layers
- •Manipulating layers
- •Using Named Objects
- •Using AutoCAD DesignCenter
- •Copying layers between drawings
- •Controlling Your Precision
- •Keyboard capers: Coordinate input
- •Understanding AutoCAD’s coordinate systems
- •Grab an object and make it snappy
- •Other Practical Precision Procedures
- •Introducing the AutoCAD Drawing Commands
- •The Straight and Narrow: Lines, Polylines, and Polygons
- •Toeing the line
- •Connecting the lines with polyline
- •Squaring off with rectangles
- •Choosing your sides with polygon
- •(Throwing) Curves
- •Going full circle
- •Arc-y-ology
- •Solar ellipses
- •Splines: The sketchy, sinuous curves
- •Donuts: The circles with a difference
- •Revision clouds on the horizon
- •Scoring Points
- •Commanding and Selecting
- •Command-first editing
- •Selection-first editing
- •Direct object manipulation
- •Choosing an editing style
- •Grab It
- •One-by-one selection
- •Selection boxes left and right
- •Perfecting Selecting
- •AutoCAD Groupies
- •Object Selection: Now You See It . . .
- •Get a Grip
- •About grips
- •A gripping example
- •Move it!
- •Copy, or a kinder, gentler Move
- •A warm-up stretch
- •Your AutoCAD Toolkit
- •The Big Three: Move, Copy, and Stretch
- •Base points and displacements
- •Move
- •Copy
- •Copy between drawings
- •Stretch
- •More Manipulations
- •Mirror
- •Rotate
- •Scale
- •Array
- •Offset
- •Slicing, Dicing, and Splicing
- •Trim and Extend
- •Break
- •Fillet and Chamfer and Blend
- •Join
- •When Editing Goes Bad
- •Zoom and Pan with Glass and Hand
- •The wheel deal
- •Navigating your drawing
- •Controlling your cube
- •Time to zoom
- •A View by Any Other Name . . .
- •Looking Around in Layout Land
- •Degenerating and Regenerating
- •Getting Ready to Write
- •Simply stylish text
- •Taking your text to new heights
- •One line or two?
- •Your text will be justified
- •Using the Same Old Line
- •Turning On Your Annotative Objects
- •Saying More in Multiline Text
- •Making it with Mtext
- •It slices; it dices . . .
- •Doing a number on your Mtext lists
- •Line up in columns — now!
- •Modifying Mtext
- •Gather Round the Tables
- •Tables have style, too
- •Creating and editing tables
- •Take Me to Your Leader
- •Electing a leader
- •Multi options for multileaders
- •How Do You Measure Up?
- •A Field Guide to Dimensions
- •The lazy drafter jumps over to the quick dimension commands
- •Dimension associativity
- •Where, oh where, do my dimensions go?
- •The Latest Styles in Dimensioning
- •Creating and managing dimension styles
- •Let’s get stylish!
- •Adjusting style settings
- •Size Matters
- •Details at other scales
- •Editing Dimensions
- •Editing dimension geometry
- •Editing dimension text
- •Controlling and editing dimension associativity
- •Batten Down the Hatches!
- •Don’t Count Your Hatches. . .
- •Size Matters!
- •We can do this the hard way. . .
- •. . . or we can do this the easy way
- •Annotative versus non-annotative
- •Pushing the Boundary (Of) Hatch
- •Your hatching has no style!
- •Hatch from scratch
- •Editing Hatch Objects
- •You Say Printing, We Say Plotting
- •The Plot Quickens
- •Plotting success in 16 steps
- •Get with the system
- •Configure it out
- •Preview one, two
- •Instead of fit, scale it
- •Plotting the Layout of the Land
- •Plotting Lineweights and Colors
- •Plotting with style
- •Plotting through thick and thin
- •Plotting in color
- •It’s a (Page) Setup!
- •Continuing the Plot Dialog
- •The Plot Sickens
- •Rocking with Blocks
- •Creating Block Definitions
- •Inserting Blocks
- •Attributes: Fill-in-the-Blank Blocks
- •Creating attribute definitions
- •Defining blocks that contain attribute definitions
- •Inserting blocks that contain attribute definitions
- •Edit attribute values
- •Extracting data
- •Exploding Blocks
- •Purging Unused Block Definitions
- •Arraying Associatively
- •Comparing the old and new ARRAY commands
- •Hip, hip, array!
- •Associatively editing
- •Going External
- •Becoming attached to your xrefs
- •Layer-palooza
- •Creating and editing an external reference file
- •Forging an xref path
- •Managing xrefs
- •Blocks, Xrefs, and Drawing Organization
- •Mastering the Raster
- •Attaching a raster image
- •Maintaining your image
- •Theme and Variations: Dynamic Blocks
- •Lights! Parameters!! Actions!!!
- •Manipulating dynamic blocks
- •Maintaining Design Intent
- •Defining terms
- •Forget about drawing with precision!
- •Constrain yourself
- •Understanding Geometric Constraints
- •Applying a little more constraint
- •AutoConstrain yourself!
- •Understanding Dimensional Constraints
- •Practice a little constraint
- •Making your drawing even smarter
- •Using the Parameters Manager
- •Dimensions or constraints — have it both ways!
- •The Internet and AutoCAD: An Overview
- •You send me
- •Send it with eTransmit
- •Rapid eTransmit
- •Bad reception?
- •Help from the Reference Manager
- •Design Web Format — Not Just for the Web
- •All about DWF and DWFx
- •Autodesk Design Review 2013
- •The Drawing Protection Racket
- •Autodesk Weather Forecast: Increasing Cloud
- •Working Solidly in the Cloud
- •Free AutoCAD!
- •Going once, going twice, going 123D
- •Your head planted firmly in the cloud
- •The pros
- •The cons
- •Cloudy with a shower of DWGs
- •AutoCAD 2013 cloud connectivity
- •Tomorrow’s Forecast
- •Understanding 3D Digital Models
- •Tools of the Trade
- •Warp speed ahead
- •Entering the third dimension
- •Untying the Ribbon and opening some palettes
- •Modeling from Above
- •Using 3D coordinate input
- •Using point filters
- •Object snaps and object snap tracking
- •Changing Planes
- •Displaying the UCS icon
- •Adjusting the UCS
- •Navigating the 3D Waters
- •Orbit à go-go
- •Taking a spin around the cube
- •Grabbing the SteeringWheels
- •Visualizing 3D Objects
- •Getting Your 3D Bearings
- •Creating a better 3D template
- •Seeing the world from new viewpoints
- •From Drawing to Modeling in 3D
- •Drawing basic 3D objects
- •Gaining a solid foundation
- •Drawing solid primitives
- •Adding the Third Dimension to 2D Objects
- •Creating 3D objects from 2D drawings
- •Modifying 3D Objects
- •Selecting subobjects
- •Working with gizmos
- •More 3D variants of 2D commands
- •Editing solids
- •Get the 2D Out of Here!
- •A different point of view
- •But wait! There’s more!
- •But wait! There’s less!
- •Do You See What I See?
- •Visualizing the Digital World
- •Adding Lighting
- •Default lighting
- •User-defined lights
- •Sunlight
- •Creating and Applying Materials
- •Defining a Background
- •Rendering a 3D Model
- •Autodesk Feedback Community
- •Autodesk Discussion Groups
- •Autodesk’s Own Bloggers
- •Autodesk University
- •The Autodesk Channel on YouTube
- •The World Wide (CAD) Web
- •Your Local ATC
- •Your Local User Group
- •AUGI
- •Books
- •Price
- •3D Abilities
- •Customization Options
- •Network Licensing
- •Express Tools
- •Parametrics
- •Standards Checking
- •Data Extraction
- •MLINE versus DLINE
- •Profiles
- •Reference Manager
- •And The Good News Is . . .
- •APERTURE
- •DIMASSOC
- •MENUBAR
- •MIRRTEXT
- •OSNAPZ
- •PICKBOX
- •REMEMBERFOLDERS
- •ROLLOVERTIPS
- •TOOLTIPS
- •VISRETAIN
- •And the Bonus Round
- •Index
Introduction 9
Many AutoCAD commands have aliases — shortcut (fewer-letter) versions for the benefit of those who like to type commands at the AutoCAD command line, and in the long run, this is the way the real power users work. In this book, we show command names in uppercase letters. Chapters throughout the book include tables listing the most commonly used drawing and editing commands, and for each table we list both the full command name and its alias in parentheses; for example, LINE (L), ARRAY (AR), and so forth.
If you’re using the keyboard to enter commands, this means that you can type either LINE or simply L, and then press Enter to execute the command. Command input is not case-sensitive, so LINE, line, Line, liNe, LiNe, and so on will all work. You can view a list of all the command aliases in both AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT by clicking Edit Aliases on the Manage tab’s Customization panel — but just look, and be careful not to change anything!
Tying things up with the Ribbon
As you’ve noticed if you’ve skimmed through the book and looked at a few of the figures, AutoCAD uses an Office 2007–style Application Menu and Ribbon interface. The Ribbon is organized into a series of task-based tabs, and each tab has a number of panels containing specific tool buttons. We tell you where to find each command.
Where to Go from Here
If you read this Introduction, you’re like us — you like to read. (The cut-to- the-chase people tend to flip to the index right away and look up what they need to know at that instant.) If you’re a total AutoCAD newbie, you can read this book in order, from front to back; it follows a straightforward route from setting up your drawing environment, to outputting your masterworks to hard copy, to sharing your work with others.
If you’re an experienced user, you’ll probably be one of those index-flippers looking for the missing information you need to complete a specific task. You can probably find the index on your own, but we encourage you to browse through the book anyway, with a highlighter or sticky notes in hand, so you can find those particularly important places when you need them again. If you’re competent in most areas of AutoCAD and pretty familiar with the previous version, look for the New In 2013 icons in the margins to find out the latest features you never knew you couldn’t live without.
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10 |
AutoCAD 2013 For Dummies |
Whichever route you choose, we hope you enjoy your time with AutoCAD 2013 For Dummies. And . . . you’re off!
Occasionally, we have updates to our technology books. If this book does have technical updates, they will be posted at:
www.dummies.com/go/autocad2013fdupdates
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Part I
AutoCAD 101
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AutoCAD 2013 is more than just another drawing program; it’s a complete environ-
ment for drafting and design. So if you’re new to AutoCAD, you need to know several things to get off to a good start — especially how to use the command-line area and how to set up your drawing properly. These key techniques are described in this part of the book.
If you’ve used earlier versions of AutoCAD, you’ll be most interested in the high points of the new release, including some newer interface components. The lowdown on what’s new is here, too.
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1
Introducing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT
In This Chapter
Getting the AutoCAD advantage
Using AutoCAD and DWG files
Meeting the AutoCAD product family
Using AutoCAD LT instead of AutoCAD
Finding out what’s new in 2013
Maybe you’re one of the few remaining holdouts who continue to practice the ancient art of manual drafting with pencil and
vellum. If so, we must tell you that you belong to a dwindling breed. Or maybe you’re completely new to drafting and yearn for the wealth and fame (would we lead you
on?) of the drafter’s life. Maybe you’re an engineer or architect who needs to catch up with the young CAD hotshots in your office. Maybe you tried to use AutoCAD a long time ago, but gave up in frustration or just got rusty. Or maybe you currently use an older release, such as AutoCAD 2006 or even (if you’re into antiques) AutoCAD 2000.
Whatever your current situation or motivation, we hope that you enjoy the process of becoming proficient with AutoCAD. Drawing with AutoCAD is
challenging at first, but it’s a challenge worth meeting. AutoCAD rewards those who think creatively about their work and look for ways to do it better. You can always find out
more, discover a new trick, or improve the efficiency and quality of your drawing production.
AutoCAD first hit the bricks in the early 1980s, around the same time as the first IBM PCs. It was offered for a bewildering variety of operating systems, including CP/M (ask your granddad about that one!), various flavors of Unix,
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14 Part I: AutoCAD 101
and even the Apple II and then the Macintosh. By far the most popular of those early versions was for MS-DOS (your dad can tell you about that one). In 1997, Autodesk settled on Microsoft Windows as the sole operating system for AutoCAD, and that was the case for the next 13 years. Then in 2010, Autodesk released its first non-Windows version for many years: AutoCAD for Mac. The last version of AutoCAD to run on the Mac was Release 12, which appeared as long ago as 1992. It’s taken a while, but it looks like the Mac is back!
In this book, we cover only the Windows versions of AutoCAD 2013 and AutoCAD LT 2013. AutoCAD for Mac is different enough — in both capabilities and interface — from the Windows versions that we simply can’t cover it all here. If you’re a Mac user with an interest in running AutoCAD, check out Mastering AutoCAD for Mac, by George Omura and Rick Graham (Sybex Publishing), and/or What’s Inside? AutoCAD for Macintosh, by Ralph Grabowski, available as an e-book at www.upfrontezine.com/wiam.
AutoCAD 2013 and AutoCAD LT 2013 are supported in the following Windows flavors, including both 32and 64-bit versions:
Windows 7 and Windows Vista Home Premium
Windows 7 Professional
Windows 7 and Windows Vista Enterprise
Windows 7 and Windows Vista Ultimate
Windows Vista Business
Windows XP Professional
Windows XP Home (32-bit only)
Although not officially supported, AutoCAD 2013 (and AutoCAD LT 2013) can also run in Windows XP Tablet PC 2005 Edition, and make use of the tablet functionality included in Windows Vista and Windows 7. Trying to do production drafting on a tablet isn’t a great idea because of limitations in the graphics system, but we know it works. In fact, between the two of us, we are also running it on an Acer notebook with only 1024 x 600 resolution. When AutoCAD starts, it complains that it needs a minimum 1024 x 768 resolution but starts running anyway. The secret is to set up the notebook’s graphics in dual-monitor extended-desktop mode and plug it into a higher-resolution monitor or even a digital TV and then drag AutoCAD onto that screen.
Because of AutoCAD’s MS-DOS heritage and its emphasis on efficiency for production drafters, it’s not the easiest program to master, but it has gotten easier and more consistent over the past decade or so. AutoCAD is pretty well integrated into the Windows environment now, but you still bump into some vestiges of its MS-DOS legacy — especially the command line (that text area lurking at the bottom of the AutoCAD screen — see Chapter 2 for details). But even the command line — oops! command window — is kinder
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