Tutorial Guide To AutoCAD 2018 - SDC Publications

Tutorial Guide to AutoCAD 2018 2D Drawing, 3D Modeling Covers 2D drawing and 3D modelingUses step-by-step tutorials and is written for novice usersOrganization that parallels an introductory engineering courseMechanical, electrical, civil, and architectural based end of chapter problemsPrepares you for the AutoCAD Certification ExamTable of ContentsDescriptionTutorial Guide to AutoCAD 2018 provides a step-by-stepintroduction to AutoCAD with commands presented in thecontext of each tutorial. In fifteen clear and comprehensivechapters, author Shawna Lockhart guides readers through allthe important commands and techniques in AutoCAD 2018,from 2D drawing to solid modeling and finally finishing withrendering. In each lesson, the author provides step-by-stepinstructions with frequent illustrations showing exactly whatappears on the AutoCAD screen. Later, individual steps are nolonger provided, and readers are asked to apply what they’velearned by completing sequences on their own. A carefullydeveloped pedagogy reinforces this cumulative-learningapproach and supports readers in becoming skilled AutoCADusers.Tutorial Guide to AutoCAD 2018 begins with three GettingStarted chapters that include information to get readersof all levels prepared for the tutorials. The author includestips that offer suggestions and warnings as you progressthrough the tutorials. Key Terms and Key Commands arelisted at the end of each chapter to recap important topicsand commands learned in each tutorial. Also, a glossaryof terms and Commands Summary list the key commandsused in the tutorials. Each chapter concludes with end ofchapter problems providing challenges to a range of abilitiesin mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering as well asarchitectural problems.SDCP U B L I C AT I O N SBetter Textbooks. Lower .11.12.13.14.15.Getting Started: Preparing for theTutorialsGetting Started: AutoCAD BasicsGetting Started: Studying for theAutoCAD Certification ExamIntroduction to AutoCADBasic Construction TechniquesBasic Editing and Plotting TechniquesGeometric ConstructionsTemplate Drawings and More Plotting2D Orthographic DrawingsDimensioningAdvanced DimensioningSection and Auxiliary ViewsBlocks, DesignCenter, and ToolPalettesIntroduction to Solid and SurfaceModelingChanging and Plotting Solid ModelsCreating Assembly Drawings fromSolid ModelsSolid Modeling for Section andAuxiliary ViewsRenderingGlossaryAppendix A: AutoCAD CommandSummaryIndexISBN: 978-1-63057-120-7SUGGESTED PRICERetail 78School Bookstores 49READER LEVELBeginner to Intermediate

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INTRODUCTION 57BASIC CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUESIntroductionYou usually create drawings by combining and modifying several differ ent basic primitive shapes, such as lines, circles, and arcs, to create morecomplex shapes. This tutorial will help you learn how to draw shapes.Keep in mind that one of the advantages of using CAD over drawingon paper is that you are creating an accurate model of the drawinggeometry. In Tutorial 3, you will learn to list information from the draw ing database. Information extracted from the drawing is accurate only ifyou create the drawing accurately in the first place.2ObjectivesWhen you have com pleted this tutorial, youwill be able to1. Open existingdrawings.2. Work with new andexisting layers.StartingBefore you begin, launch AutoCAD 2018.Opening an Existing DrawingThis tutorial shows you how to add arcs and circles to the subdivisiondrawing provided with the datafiles that came with this guide. In Tuto rial 3 you will finish the subdivision drawing so that the final drawingwill look like Figure 2.1.3. Draw, using the Arcand Circle commands.4. Set and use runningObject snaps.5. Change the display,using Zoom and Pan.6. Use Dynamic View.7. Draw ellipses.A SUBDIVISION LOCATED IN THE NE1/4 OF THE NE 1/4 OF SEC. 14,T.1S, R.5E, M.P.MA 15’ UTILITY EASEMENT ISRESERVED ALONG ALL EXTERIORLOT LINES.BRONWYNECSNROADGAPONDET2RRADY ROTAS110CIRCLE3456789Wannabe Heights EstatesFigure 2.1To open an existing drawing, use the Application icon, Open selectionor click the button that looks like an open folder from the Quick Accesstoolbar.Click: Open buttonThe Select File dialog box appears on your screen. Use the center por tion, which shows the default directory and drive, to select the locationwhere your datafiles have been stored. You should have already createda folder called datafile2018, and copied all the datafiles for this bookinto it. If you have not done so, you may want to review the GettingTip: It is easy to download thedatafiles. Use your browser tonavigate to www.sdcpublications.com/Authors/ShawnaLockhart. From there select thetext you are using. Find andclick the Download button onthe page for your text.

58 Tutorial 2 BASIC CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUESTip: Use the buttons at the leftof the dialog box to show theHistory (recently used files), MyDocuments folder contents, orFavorites you have added. Toadd a favorite, find the folderand then right-click the Favorites button. Pick Add CurrentFolder from the pop-up menuthat appears. To add a folderas a button, pick Tools, AddCurrent Folder to Places.You can also use Autodesk 360to display documents you havestored on a remote internetserver sometimes called “thecloud.” This allows you to viewyour files from anyplace youcan connect to the internet. Youcan also browse your computer’s desktop and Autodesk’sBuzzsaw area from these sidebar icons.Started chapters. If the correct folder is not showing in the Look In box,use the Up One Level icon or expand the choices by clicking on thedownward arrow for the Look In box. Use the scroll bars if necessaryto scroll down the list of directories and open the appropriate one sothe files appear in the dialog box as in Figure 2.2. Scroll down the list offiles until you see the file named subdivis.dwg. When you select a file, apreview of the file appears in the box to the right. (Older files may notshow a preview.)Figure 2.2Menu choices at the top right of the Select File dialog box let you selectdifferent views to be displayed in the file list and other useful tools, suchas a Find selection to search for files.Click: Tools, FindType: subdivis (in the Named area)Click: Find Now button (from upper right of dialog box)The Find dialog box displays the location for the file named Subdivis.dwg, as shown in Figure 2.3. You can type in a portion of the name tomatch if you cannot remember the entire name or click the Date Modi fied tab if you want to search by date and time the file was created.Figure 2.3

SAVING AS A NEW FILE 59Double-click: Subdivis.dwg ( to select it from the list at the bottom)You return to the Select File dialog box.Click: OpenDouble-click: in the center of the screen to zoom to the drawing extentsWhen you have opened the file, it appears on your screen, as shownin Figure 2.4. It opens with its own defaults for Grid, Snap, and otherfeatures. These settings are saved in the drawing file.Figure 2.4Saving as a New FileThe Save As command allows you to save your drawing to a new filename and/or different drive or folder. You can select this commandfrom the Application icon or from the Quick Access toolbar.Click: Save As buttonThe Save Drawing As dialog box appears similar to Figure 2.5.Figure 2.5Tip: Don’t use the Save command because that will saveyour changes into the originaldatafile.

60 Tutorial 2 BASIC CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUESTip: Notice that if you have setup an account, you can use theA360 selection to save yourfiles to storage in the “cloud.”Warning: If you save a file withthe same name as one alreadyin the directory, you will see amessage the file “already exists. Do you want to replace it?”Choose No unless you want toreplace the file.On your own, select the drive and folder work and specify the name for yourdrawing, subdivis.dwg.In this case, the new file name is the same as the previous file name, butthe folder is different. This creates a new copy of drawing subdivis.dwgsaved in the folder named work.The original subdivis.dwg remains unchanged on your drive. When youuse the Save As command and specify a new file name, the software setsthe newly saved file as current.Using LayersYou can organize drawing information on different layers. Think of alayer as a transparent drawing sheet that you place over the drawingand that you can remove at will. The coordinate system remains thesame from one layer to another, so graphical objects on separate layersremain aligned. You can create a virtually unlimited number of layerswithin the same drawing. The Layer command allows control of thecolor and linetype associated with a given layer. Using layers allows youto overlay a base drawing with several different levels of detail (such aswiring or plumbing schematics over the base plan for a building).By using layers, you can also control which portions of a drawing areplotted, or remove dimensions or text from a drawing to make it easierto add or change objects. You can also lock layers, making them inac cessible but still visible on the screen. You can’t change anything on alocked layer until you unlock it.Current LayerThe current layer is the layer you are working on. Any new objects youdraw are added to the current layer. The default current layer is layer 0.If you do not create and use other layers, your drawing will be createdon layer 0. You used this layer when drawing the plot plan in Tutorial 1.Layer 0 is a special layer provided in the AutoCAD program.You cannot rename or delete layer 0 from the list of layers. Layer 0has special properties when used with the Block and Insert commands,which are covered in Tutorial 10.Layer POINTS is the current layer in mysubdivis.dwg. There can beonly one current layer at a time. The name of the current layer appearson the Layer toolbar.Controlling LayersThe Layer Control feature on the Layers panel on the Home tab of theribbon is an easy way to control the visibility of existing layers in yourdrawing. You will learn more about creating and using layers in thistutorial. For now, you will use layers that have already been created foryou.Click: on layer name POINTS from the Layers panel

CONTROLLING COLORS 61The list of available layers pulls down, as shown in Figure 2.6. Noticethe special layer 0 displayed near the top of the list.Figure 2.6Click: on the layer name CENTERLINE from the Layer Control listIt becomes the current layer shown on the toolbar. Any new objects willbe created on this layer until you select a different current layer. TheLayer Control now should look like Figure 2.7, showing the layer nameCENTERLINE.Figure 2.7Use the Line command you learned in Tutorial 1 to draw a line off to the side ofthe subdivision drawing.Note that it is green and has a centerline linetype (long dash, shortdash, long dash). The line you drew is on Layer CENTERLINE.Erase or Undo the line on your own.Controlling ColorsEach layer has a color associated with it. Using different colors for dif ferent layers helps you visually distinguish different information in thedrawing. An object’s color also may control appearance during printing.There are two different ways of selecting the color for objects onyour screen. The best way is usually to set the layer color and drawthe objects on the appropriate layer. This method keeps your drawingorganized. The other method is to use the Color Control feature on theProperties panel. To select the Color Control pull-down feature,Click: ByLayer from the Properties panel to pull down the ColorControlClick to expandcolor choicesFigure 2.8Note that the standard colors (yellow, red, green, blue, etc.) are shown.You can also choose More Colors to view the full color palette.Tip: If your panelsare minimized, youmay need to click toexpand the options.