AutoCAD 2017 and AutoCAD LT 2017 Essentials

About the Author Scott Onstott is a consultant, former university instructor, and independent video producer with more than 17 years of experience teaching and writing about design visualization software. He is the author of the five previous editions of AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Essentials, Photoshop CS6 Essentials, Enhancing Architectural Drawings and Models with Photoshop, and five other software training books published by Sybex.

Introduction xv
Chapter 1 Getting Started 1


Sign In to Autodesk 360 on the Start Tab 1


Exercise 1.1: Configure Autodesk 360 1


Explore the AutoCAD 2017 for Windows User Interface 4


Exercise 1.2: Explore the Graphical User Interface 4


Exercise 1.3: Control the AutoCAD Ribbon 9


Set Drawing Units 13


Exercise 1.4: Set the AutoCAD Drawing Units 14


Chapter 2 Gaining Basic Drawing Skills 17


Navigate 2D Drawings 17


Exercise 2.1: Navigate a Drawing 17


Draw Lines and Rectangles 21


Exercise 2.2: Draw Lines 21


Exercise 2.3: Draw Rectangles 24


Cancel, Erase, and Undo 26


Exercise 2.4: Correct Mistakes 26


Use Coordinate Systems 27


Exercise 2.5: Use Absolute Coordinates 28


Exercise 2.6: Use Relative Coordinates 28


Exercise 2.7: Use Polar Coordinates 29


Draw Circles, Arcs, and Polygons 33


Exercise 2.8: Create Circles 33


Exercise 2.9: Create Arcs 36


Exercise 2.10: Draw Polygons 38


Use Fillet and Chamfer 40


Exercise 2.11: Join Nonparallel Lines 40


Exercise 2.12: Join Crossed Lines with Fillet 41


Chapter 3 Using Drawing Aids 43


Use Grid and Snap 43


Exercise 3.1: Draw with Grid and Snap 44


Employ Ortho and Polar Tracking 47


Exercise 3.2: Draw with Ortho and Polar Tracking 47


Use PolarSnap 49


Exercise 3.3: Draw with PolarSnap 49


Select Running Object Snaps 51


Exercise 3.4: Draw with Running Object Snaps 51


Harness the From Snap 54


Exercise 3.5: Use the From Snap 54


Apply Object Snap Tracking 55


Exercise 3.6: Use Object Snap Tracking 55


Chapter 4 Editing Entities 59


Create Selection Sets 59


Exercise 4.1: Create a Selection Set at the Select Objects: Prompt 60


Exercise 4.2: Create a Selection Set Before Deciding on a Command 62


Use Move and Copy 66


Exercise 4.3: Move and Copy 66


Use Rotate and Scale 70


Exercise 4.4: Rotate and Scale 70


Work with Arrays 73


Exercise 4.5: Create a Rectangular Array 73


Exercise 4.6: Create a Polar Array 75


Use Trim and Extend 76


Exercise 4.7: Trim and Measure 77


Use Lengthen and Stretch 78


Exercise 4.8: Lengthen and Stretch 78


Use Offset and Mirror 79


Exercise 4.9: Offset and Mirror 80


Edit with Grips 82


Exercise 4.10: Edit with Grips 82


Chapter 5 Shaping Curves 85


Draw and Edit Curved Polylines 85


Exercise 5.1: Draw and Edit Curved Polylines 85


Draw Ellipses 91


Exercise 5.2: Draw Ellipses 91


Shape Splines 93


Exercise 5.3: Work with Control Vertices 94


Exercise 5.4: Work with Fit Points 98


Blend Between Objects with Splines 101


Exercise 5.5: Blend Splines 102


Chapter 6 Controlling Object Visibility and Appearance 105


Change Object Properties 105


Exercise 6.1: Edit Object Properties 106


Set the Current Layer 109


Exercise 6.2: Choose the Current Layer 110


Alter the Layer Assignments of Objects 113


Exercise 6.3: Assign Layers 113


Control Layer Visibility 116


Exercise 6.4: Toggle Layer Status 116


Exercise 6.5: Isolate Layers 118


Exercise 6.6: Save Layer States 120


Apply Linetype 122


Exercise 6.7: Use Linetype 122


Assign Properties by Object or by Layer 125


Exercise 6.8: Assign Properties 125


Manage Layer Properties 126


Exercise 6.9: Control Layer Properties 126


Isolate Objects 128


Exercise 6.10: Isolate and Hide Individual Objects 128


Chapter 7 Organizing Objects 131


Define Blocks 131


Exercise 7.1: Draw a Chair and Define It as a Block 132


Exercise 7.2: Draw a Door and Define It as a Block 135


Insert Blocks 137


Exercise 7.3: Use Blocks 137


Edit Blocks 141


Exercise 7.4: Edit Block Definitions 142


Exercise 7.5: Assign Floating Properties 143


Exercise 7.6: Nest Blocks 145


Exercise 7.7: Explode Blocks 147


Redefine Blocks 148


Exercise 7.8: Redefine Block Definitions 148


Work with Groups 151


Exercise 7.9: Create Groups 151


Chapter 8 Hatching and Gradients 155


Specify Hatch Areas 155


Exercise 8.1: Pick Points to Determine Boundaries 155


Exercise 8.2: Select Objects to Define Boundaries 159


Associate Hatches with Boundaries 161


Exercise 8.3: Associate Boundaries 161


Hatch with Patterns 163


Exercise 8.4: Specify Properties 164


Exercise 8.5: Separate Hatch Areas 165


Hatch with Gradients 168


Exercise 8.6: Create Gradients 168


Chapter 9 Working with Blocks and Xrefs 171


Work with Global Blocks 171


Exercise 9.1: Write a Local Block Definition to a File 171


Exercise 9.2: Insert a Drawing as a Local Block 175


Exercise 9.3: Redefine Local Blocks with Global Blocks 177


Access Content Globally 179


Exercise 9.4: Access Global Content 179


Store Content on Tool Palettes 185


Exercise 9.5: Add to the Tool Palettes 185


Reference External Drawings and Images 187


Exercise 9.6: Use Xrefs 188


Chapter 10 Creating and Editing Text 193


Style Text 193


Exercise 10.1: Create Text Styles 193


Write Lines of Text 195


Exercise 10.2: Create Text to Fit 195


Exercise 10.3: Justify Text 197


Exercise 10.4: Transform and Create Text 198


Write and Format Paragraphs Using MTEXT 201


Exercise 10.5: Write and Format with MTEXT 201


Edit Text 204


Exercise 10.6: Edit Content and Properties 205


Exercise 10.7: Work with Columns 206


Chapter 11 Dimensioning 209


Style Dimensions 209


Exercise 11.1: Create Dimension Styles 210


Add Dimensions 215


Exercise 11.2: Use Inquiry Commands 216


Exercise 11.3: Add Dimension Objects 218


Exercise 11.4: Add and Style Multileaders 221


Edit Dimensions 223


Exercise 11.5: Alter Dimension Objects 223


Chapter 12 Keeping In Control with Constraints 227


Work with Geometric Constraints 227


Exercise 12.1: Use Geometric Constraints 227


Apply Dimensional Constraints 230


Exercise 12.2: Create Dimensional Constraints 231


Constrain Objects Simultaneously with Geometry and Dimensions 234


Exercise 12.3: Use Simultaneous Constraints 234


Make Parametric Changes to Constrained Objects 236


Exercise 12.4: Alter Constraint Parameters 237


Chapter 13 Working with Layouts and Annotative Objects 239


Create Annotative Styles and Objects 239


Exercise 13.1: Work with Annotative Text 240


Exercise 13.2: Work with Annotative Dimensions 243


Create Layouts 245


Exercise 13.3: Configure Layouts 245


Adjust Floating Viewports 249


Exercise 13.4: Work on Layout1 249


Exercise 13.5: Work on Layout2 252


Override Layer Properties in Layout Viewports 255


Exercise 13.6: Override Layer Properties 255


Draw on Layouts 257


Exercise 13.7: Lay Out Geometry 257


Chapter 14 Printing and Plotting 261


Configure Output Devices 261


Exercise 14.1: Set Up a System Printer 262


Exercise 14.2: Set Up an AutoCAD Plotter 262


Create Plot Style Tables 265


Exercise 14.3: Create a Named Plot Style Table 265


Use Plot Style Tables 267


Exercise 14.4: Configure New Drawings for Named Plot Style Tables 267


Exercise 14.5: Assign Plot Styles by Layer or by Object 270


Plot in Model Space 273


Exercise 14.6: Plot from Model Space 273


Plot Layouts in Paper Space 277


Exercise 14.7: Plot from Paper Space 277


Export to an Electronic Format 280


Exercise 14.8: Export to DWF 281


Exercise 14.9: Export to PDF 282


Exercise 14.10: Share Design Views 284


Chapter 15 Working with Data 287


Geolocate Projects 287


Exercise 15.1: Geolocate a Drawing 288


Import SketchUp Models 292


Exercise 15.2: Import a SketchUp Model 292


Define Attributes and Blocks 293


Exercise 15.3: Define Attributes and a Block 294


Insert Attributed Blocks 298


Exercise 15.4: Insert Block References with Attributes 298


Edit Table Styles and Create Tables 300


Exercise 15.5: Alter a Table Style and Make a Table 300


Use Fields in Table Cells 305


Exercise 15.6: Create Fields 305


Edit Table Data 308


Exercise 15.7: Alter Table Data 308


Chapter 16 Navigating 3D Models 317


Use Visual Styles 317


Exercise 16.1: Explore Visual Styles 318


Work with Tiled Viewports 322


Exercise 16.2: Tile Viewports 322


Navigate with the ViewCube 324


Exercise 16.3: Use the ViewCube to Navigate 324


Orbit in 3D 326


Exercise 16.4: Orbit 326


Use Cameras 328


Exercise 16.5: Utilize Virtual Cameras 328


Navigate with SteeringWheels 331


Exercise 16.6: Use SteeringWheels to Navigate 331


Save Views 334


Exercise 16.7: Save Views 334


Chapter 17 Modeling in 3D 337


Create Surface Models 337


Exercise 17.1: Make Planar Surfaces 338


Exercise 17.2: Revolve a 2D Profile to Create a 3D Model 339


Exercise 17.3: Sweep Out 3D Geometry 340


Exercise 17.4: Extrude 2D Geometry into 3D 342


Edit Surface Models 344


Exercise 17.5: Trim Surfaces with Other Surfaces 344


Exercise 17.6: Project Edges on Surfaces 345


Exercise 17.7: Trim Surfaces with Edges 348


Create Solid Models 350


Exercise 17.8: Extrude Solid Objects 350


Exercise 17.9: Loft Solid Objects 354


Edit Solid Models 356


Exercise 17.10: Perform Boolean Operations 356


Exercise 17.11: Edit Solids 359


Smooth Mesh Models 363


Exercise 17.12: Create, Edit, and Smooth Mesh 363


Live–Section Models 365


Exercise 17.13: Create and Edit a Section Plane 365


Chapter 18 Presenting and Documenting 3D Design 369


Assign Materials 370


Exercise 18.1: Apply Materials 370


Place and Adjust Lights 376


Exercise 18.2: Add Artificial Lights 376


Exercise 18.3: Simulate Natural Light 382


Create Renderings 383


Exercise 18.4: Make More Realistic Renderings in the Cloud 383


Document Models with Drawings 387


Exercise 18.5: Document Models 387


Appendix A Making Isometric Drawings 393


Appendix B Autodesk® AutoCAD 2017 Certification 399


Index 403