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Introducing Autocad: Aim of This Chapter

This chapter introduces AutoCAD and its interface. It discusses how to open AutoCAD, the different workspaces, and various interface elements like menus, palettes, tools, and status bar buttons. It also provides an overview of basic AutoCAD concepts like coordinate systems, drawing templates, and digitizing tools.

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Fasil Getachew
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70 views15 pages

Introducing Autocad: Aim of This Chapter

This chapter introduces AutoCAD and its interface. It discusses how to open AutoCAD, the different workspaces, and various interface elements like menus, palettes, tools, and status bar buttons. It also provides an overview of basic AutoCAD concepts like coordinate systems, drawing templates, and digitizing tools.

Uploaded by

Fasil Getachew
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 15

CHAPTER 1

Introducing AutoCAD
Aim of this chapter
The contents of this chapter are designed to introduce features of
the AutoCAD window and methods of operating AutoCAD.
Opening AutoCAD 2010
AutoCAD is designed to work in a Windows operating system. In
general, to open AutoCAD , either double-click on the AutoCAD
shortcut in the Windows desktop (Fig. 1.1), or right-click on the icon,
followed by a left-click on Open in the menu which then appears.
.

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• When AutoCAD 2010 is opened a window appears, depending
upon whether a Classic AutoCAD, a 3D Modeling or an 2D
Drafting & Annotation workspace has been used previously

Fig. 1.1 The AutoCAD 2010 shortcut icon on the Windows


desktop

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Fig. 1.2 T he AutoCAD 2010 2D Drafting and Annotation
workspace 3
• Fig. 1.4 T he Menu Browser

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• Fig. 1.5 T he Workspace Switching popup menu

5
• Fig. 1.7 The descriptive tooltip appearing with a click on the
Line tool icon
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Fig. 1.8 T he tooltip for the Circle tool and its popup menu 7
The mouse as a digitiser
• Many operators working in AutoCAD will use a two-button mouse as
the digitizer (Device for converting analogue signals into digital
signals). Fig. shows a mouse which has two
buttons and a wheel. To operate this mouse
pressing the Pick button is a left-click.
Pressing the return button is a right-click.
Pressing the Return button usually has the
same result as pressing the Enter Ekey key of
the keyboard. When the wheel is pressed drawings in the AutoCAD
screen can be panned. Moving the wheel forward enlarges (zooms in)
the drawing on screen. Moving the wheel backwards reduces the size
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Palettes
• A palette has already been shown – the Command palette.
• Two palettes which may be frequently used are the Design
Center palette and the Properties palette. These can be called to
screen from icons in the View/Palettes panel.

• Fig. 1.11 A left-click on the View/Design Center icon brings the


Design Center palette to screen
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Properties palette:

Fig. 1.12 shows the Properties palette, in which the general features of a
selected line are shown. The line can be changed by entering new
figures in parts of the palette.
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Tool palettes
Click on Tool Palettes in the View/Palettes panel and the Tool
Palettes –All Palettes
palette appears ( Fig. 1.13 ).
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Buttons at the left-hand end of the status bar

• Snap Mode : Also toggled using the F9 key. When snap on, the cursor under mouse
control can only be moved in jumps from one snap point to another
.
• Grid Display : Also toggled using the F7 key. When set on, a series of grid
• points appears in the drawing area .

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• Ortho Mode : Also toggled using the F8 key. When set
on, lines, etc. can only be drawn vertically or horizontally.
• Polar Tracking : Also toggled using the F10 key. When set
on, a small tip appears showing the direction and length
of lines, etc. in degrees and units.
• Object Snap : Also toggled using the F3 key. When set
on, an osnap icon appears at the cursor pick box .
• Object Snap Tracking : Also toggled by the F11 key.
When set on, lines, etc. can be drawn at exact coordinate
points and precise angles.

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The AutoCAD coordinate system
• In the AutoCAD 2D coordinate system, units are measured
horizontally in terms of X and vertically in terms of Y.
• A 2D point in the AutoCAD drawing area can be determined
in terms of X,Y (in this book referred to as x , y ). x , y 0,0 is the
origin of the system.
• 3D coordinates include a third coordinate (Z), in which
positive Z units are towards the operator as if coming out of
the monitor screen and negative Z units going away from the
operator as if towards the interior of the screen.

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Drawing templates
• Drawing templates are files with an extension .dwt .
Templates are files which have been saved with
predetermined settings – such as Grid spacing and Snap
spacing.
• Templates can be opened from the Select template dialog
called by clicking the New … icon in the Quick Access

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