Introduction to AutoCAD 2020

Paul Richard has worked in the CAD/BIM field for more than 30 years, first starting as a CAD drafter/designer in 1985. Since then, Paul has worked in the AEC industry as a CAD manager, CAD instructor, author, and software developer. In his spare time, Paul likes riding and working on motorcycles.

PART ONE:  AN INTRODUCTION TO AUTOCAD
Chapter 1  Introduction to AutoCAD     1
Introduction     1
What Is CAD?     1
Fundamental CAD Concepts     4
    Drawing Actual Size     4
    The Cartesian Coordinate System     5
    Right-Hand Rule     5
    Grid Units     6
    Angle Measurement     7
    Annotation Scale     8
    Object Properties     9
    Colors     10
    Linetypes     11
    Lineweights     12
    Transparency     13
    Controlling Object Properties     13
    Model Space and Paper Space     13
A First Look at AutoCAD     15
    The Start Tab     15
    The AutoCAD User Interface     16
    Workspaces     18
    Quick Access Toolbar     19
    Application Menu     20
    Ribbon     22
    Tooltips     26
    The Command Line Window     27
    Dynamic Input     33
    Right-Click Shortcut Menus     35
    Status Bar     36
    In-Canvas Viewport Control     38
    ViewCube     39
    Navigation Bar     40
    Dialog Boxes     41
    Palettes     41
    Keyboard Commands     45
    InfoCenter     47
    Getting Help     48
Chapter Summary     50
Chapter Test Questions     50
Chapter 2  Quick Start Tutorial     53
Introduction     53
Creating a New Drawing     53
    Using a Template     54
    Saving Your Work     54
    File Safety Precautions     56
Model Space and Layout Space     57
    Viewports     58
Communicating with AutoCAD     59
    The Command Line     59
    Dynamic Input     59
Object Snaps, Ortho Mode, and Polar Tracking     62
Undo/Redo     64
Grid and Snap     64
Draw a Circle     65
Navigating Around the Drawing     67
    Zooming with a Wheel Mouse     68
Object Properties     69
Layers     70
    Freeze and Thaw a Layer     74
    Lock and Unlock a Layer     75
Dimension Styles     76
Dimensioning     80
Modifying Drawing Objects     83
    Selection Sets     83
Grip Editing     85
Introduction to Advanced Editing Techniques     90
    Making Parallel Copies     90
    Fixing Overlapping Lines and Closing Gaps     91
Cleaning Up Layout Space     93
    Setting the Viewport Scale     93
    Text     96
Plotting and Page Setups     99
    Plotting     102
Chapter Summary     104
Chapter Test Questions     104

PART TWO:  DRAFTING SKILLS: DRAWING WITH AUTOCAD
Chapter 3  Controlling the Drawing Display     107
Introduction     107
Zooming In and Out of a Drawing     107
    Zoom Tools     108
    Using the Mouse Wheel     113
Panning Around a Drawing     114
    The Pan Tool     114
    Using the Middle Mouse Button     116
Panning and Zooming Transparently     117
Chapter Summary     119
Chapter Test Questions     119
Chapter Project     121
Chapter 4  Basic Drawing Commands     123
Introduction     123
Drawing Setup     123
    Templates     124
    Units     124
    Setting the Drawing Area     127
Drawing Lines     127
Coordinate Entry Methods     128
    Cartesian Coordinates     128
    Absolute Versus Relative Coordinate Entry     130
    Polar Coordinates     131
    Dynamic Input     132
Drawing Circles     133
    Center Radius     133
    Center Diameter     134
    2 Point Circle     135
    3 Point Circle     135
    Tangent Tangent Radius     136
Drawing Arcs     137
    The ARC Command     138
    3 Point Arc     138
    Arc Options     138
    Using the ARC Command     139
Drawing Ellipses     140
    Elliptical Arcs     142
Points     143
    Point Styles     143
    Measure and Divide     145
Chapter Summary     147
Chapter Test Questions     147
Chapter Projects     150
Chapter 5  Drawing Tools and Drafting Settings     155
Introduction     155
Grid Mode     157
    Setting the Grid Style     158
    Setting the Grid Spacing     158
    Controlling Grid Mode Behavior     158
Snap Mode     159
    Setting the Snap Spacing     159
    Setting the Snap Type and Style     160
Ortho Mode     161
Polar Tracking     162
    Setting the Polar Tracking Angle and Measurement Method     163
Object Snaps     165
    Object Snap Modes     166
    Basic Object Snaps     168
    Advanced Object Snap Modes     177
Object Snap Tracking     181
    Temporary Tracking     182
    Object Snap Tracking     183
    Intersecting Alignment Paths     183
Dynamic Input     186
    Pointer Input     186
    Dimension Input     186
    Dynamic Prompts     187
    Dynamic Input Settings     187
Using Construction Lines     190
    The XLINE Command     190
    The RAY Command     200
Chapter Summary     201
Chapter Test Questions     201
Chapter Projects     204
Chapter 6  Managing Object Properties     209
Introduction     209
Common Object Properties     209
Layers     210
    The LAYER Command     210
    Layer Name List     211
    Deleting a Layer     223
    Layer Settings     224
Using Layers     226
Linetype Scale     227
    Hard-Coded Versus Soft-Coded Properties     228
    Setting the Default Object Properties     228
    Color Control and Management     229
    Linetype Control and Management     229
    Lineweight Control and Management     231
    Transparency Control and Management     231
Changing the Properties of Objects     232
    The Properties Palette     232
    The Properties Panel     234
    Quick Properties     234
    Copying Properties Between Objects     236
    Creating Objects with Properties Based on Existing Objects     236
Using DesignCenter to Import Layers     238
Layer Filters     239
    The Filter Tree     240
    Property Filters     240
    Group Filters     242
    Search Filter     243
Layer States Manager     243
Object Visibility     245
Chapter Summary     246
Chapter Test Questions     246
Chapter Projects     249

PART THREE:  UNDERSTANDING EDITING TECHNIQUES: BASICS THROUGH ADVANCED
Chapter 7  Basic Editing Techniques     255
Introduction     255
The ERASE Command     257
Selecting Objects for Editing     257
    Selecting Objects Individually     258
    Selecting Multiple Objects     261
    Advanced Selection Techniques     267
    Selecting Similar Objects     267
Grouping Objects     268
Moving Objects     270
Copying Objects     273
Mirroring Objects     275
    Mirroring Text     276
Rotating Objects     277
    Rotating and Copying Objects     279
Scaling Objects     280
    Scaling and Copying Objects     282
Stretching Objects     283
Selecting Objects First     286
Using Grips to Edit     287
    Multifunctional Grips     287
    Controlling Grips     287
    Selecting Grips     288
    Grip Modes     289
Chapter Summary     291
Chapter Test Questions     291
Chapter Projects     294
Chapter 8  Advanced Editing Techniques     301
Introduction     301
Offsetting Objects     302
    Offsetting an Object a Specified Distance     302
    Offsetting Through a Point     302
    Offset Options     303
    Arraying Objects     304
    Creating a Rectangular Array     305
    Creating a Path Array     307
    Creating a Polar Array     309
Trimming and Extending Objects     311
    Trimming Objects     311
    Extending Objects     314
Creating Fillets and Chamfers     317
    Creating Fillets     317
    Capping Two Parallel Lines Using the Fillet Tool     319
    Creating Chamfers     321
Breaking an Object     323
    Creating a Gap in an Object     323
    Breaking an Object Exactly at a Point     324
    Breaking Circles, Xlines, and Rays     324
    Selecting the Second Points     325
Joining Multiple Objects     326
Lengthening an Object     327
    The LENGTHEN Command Options     327
    Invalid Objects     328
Chapter Summary     329
Chapter Test Questions     329
Chapter Projects     332

PART FOUR:  WORKING WITH COMPLEX OBJECTS
Chapter 9  Drawing and Editing Complex Objects     339
Introduction     339
Drawing Polylines     340
    Drawing Polyline Arcs     342
    Drawing Polylines with a Width     347
Drawing Rectangles     348
Drawing Polygons     352
Drawing Donuts     354
Drawing Revision Clouds     355
    Changing the Arc Length     356
    Switching Styles     357
    Creating Revision Clouds from Existing Objects     357
    Editing Revision Clouds     357
Editing Polylines     359
    Closing and Opening Polylines     359
    Joining Polylines     360
    Changing the Polyline Width     362
    Editing Polyline Vertices     362
    Converting Polylines into Smooth Curves     363
    Controlling Polyline Linetype Generation     365
    Reversing a Polyline     365
    Editing Polylines Using Grips     365
Exploding Complex Objects     366
Chapter Summary     367
Chapter Test Questions     367
Chapter Projects     370
Chapter 10  Pattern Fills and Hatching     377
Introduction     377
Hatching     377
    Selecting a Hatch Area     378
    Controlling Hatch Settings and Options     379
Gradient Fills     390
    Two-Color Gradient     390
    One-Color Gradient     391
    Gradient Pattern     391
Editing Hatch Patterns     392
    Using the Hatch Editor Context Tab of the Ribbon     392
    Using the Hatch Edit Dialog Box     392
    Using the Properties Palette     393
    Trimming Hatches     393
    Exploding Hatches     394
Using DesignCenter with Hatch Patterns     394
Chapter Summary     396
Chapter Test Questions     396
Chapter Projects     399

PART FIVE:  ANNOTATING DRAWINGS
Chapter 11  Adding Text     403
Introduction     403
Controlling the Appearance of Text     404
    Fonts     405
    Text Height     406
    Annotation Scale     406
    Text Styles     407
    The Text Style Dialog Box     409
Creating Multiline Text     413
    The In-Place Multiline Text Editor     416
    The Text Editor Context Tab of the Ribbon     419
    The Right-Click Menu     429
    Stacked Text     432
Creating Single-Line Text     434
    The Right-Click Menu     436
    Single-Line Text Justification     437
    Inserting Special Symbols in Single-Line Text     439
Text Fields     440
    Inserting Text Fields     442
    Editing Text Fields     444
Editing Text     445
    Editing Text Content     445
    Editing Text Using the Properties Palette     446
    Text Alignment     448
    Scaling Text     448
    Changing Text Justification     449
    Finding and Replacing Text     450
    The Spell Checker     453
    The Combine Text Tool     457
Chapter Summary     458
Chapter Test Questions     458
Chapter Projects     461
Chapter 12  Working with Tables     467
Introduction     467
Creating Tables from Scratch     468
Entering Table Data     470
Creating Tables by Inserting a Data Link     471
    The Data Link Manager     471
Managing Table Styles     472
Modifying Tables     476
    The Right-Click Menu     477
Modifying Table Cells     478
    The Table Cell Context Tab of the Ribbon     478
    The Right-Click Menu     478
Inserting Formulas     481
Chapter Summary     483
Chapter Test Questions     483
Chapter Projects     486
Chapter 13  Dimensioning Drawings     489
Introduction     489
Dimension Tools     489
Types of Dimensions     490
Dimension Associativity     490
    Definition Points     491
Dimension Layer     491
Placing Dimensions     492
    The DIM Command     492
Creating Horizontal and Vertical Dimensions     494
    Selecting Definition Points     494
    Selecting an Object     494
    The DIMLINEAR Options     495
Creating Aligned Dimensions     498
Dimensioning Circles and Arcs     499
    Radius Dimension     500
Creating a Jogged Radius Dimension     500
    Diameter Dimension     501
    Dimensioning the Length of an Arc     502
    Creating Associative Center Marks and Centerlines     503
Angular Dimensions     504
    Selecting Objects     505
    Selecting Vertex and Angle Endpoints     505
    The Quadrant Option     505
Creating Datum and Chain Dimensions     506
    Continued Dimension     506
    Baseline Dimension     507
    DIMASSOC System Variable     508
Dimension Tools     509
    The Adjust Space Tool     509
    The Break Tool     510
    The Jog Line Tool     511
Quick Dimensioning     511
    Quick Dimension     511
Managing Dimension Styles     514
    Creating a Dimension Style     515
    Modifying an Existing Dimension Style     516
    Modifying Dimension Styles Versus Overriding Dimension Styles     528
    Comparing Dimension Styles     531
Creating Leaders     532
    The Multileader Tool     532
Creating Geometric Dimension and Tolerance Symbols (GD&T)     538
    GDT Font     539
Inspection Dimensions     539
Modifying Dimensions     541
    Grip Editing Dimensions     541
    Right-Click Shortcut Menu     542
    Modifying Dimension Text and Extension Lines     543
    Reassociating Dimensions     545
    Applying Dimension Styles     546
Chapter Summary     550
Chapter Test Questions     550
Chapter Projects     553

PART SIX:  OUTPUTTING YOUR WORK
Chapter 14  Managing Paper Space Layouts     559
Introduction     559
Layout Paper Size     561
Layout Viewport Scale     561
Controlling Layers per Layout Viewport     562
Setting Up a Layout     562
    The Page Setup Manager     562
    Creating Layout Viewports     571
    Making a Viewport Current     577
    Setting the Viewport Scale     578
    Locking the Viewport Display     582
    Controlling Layers per Layout Viewport     584
    Modifying Layout Viewports     585
    Turning Viewport Display Off and On     587
    Maximizing a Viewport     588
Managing Layouts     590
    Creating a New Layout     590
    Renaming a Layout     593
    Moving or Copying a Layout     594
    Deleting a Layout     594
Paper Space Linetype Scale     596
    Layout Tab     598
Chapter Summary     599
Chapter Test Questions     599
Chapter Projects     602
Chapter 15  Plotting and Publishing     607
Introduction     607
Page Setups and Plotting     607
    Previewing Your Plot     609
    Plotting from Model Space     609
    Plotting a Page Layout     612
    Default Plot Settings and Page Setups     614
Plot Styles and Lineweights     615
    Plot Style Manager     616
    Color-Dependent Plot Styles     617
    Named Plot Styles     617
    Using Plot Styles     618
    Plot Options     619
Plotter Setup     621
    Windows System Printers     621
    AutoCAD Printers     622
    Plotter Manager     623
    Plotting to a File     625
Plotting a Set of Drawings     628
    Batch Plotting     628
Working with DWF Files     632
    Autodesk Design Review     632
    Autodesk DWF Writer     634
Chapter Summary     635
Chapter Test Questions     635
Chapter Projects     638

PART SEVEN:  ADVANCED DRAWING AND CONSTRUCTION METHODS
Chapter 16  Blocks and Block Attributes     641
Introduction     641
Creating Blocks     643
    The BLOCK Command     643
    Block Object Properties     646
Inserting Blocks     648
    The Blocks Palette     649
    Nonuniformly Scaled Unit Blocks     651
    Exploding Blocks     653
    Inserting a Drawing File as a Block     653
    Using Windows Explorer to Insert a Drawing File     655
Exporting Blocks     656
    The WBLOCK Command     657
Block Attributes     659
Creating Attributes     661
    Attribute Definition     661
Updating and Editing Attributes     663
    Editing Attributes Individually     664
    Editing Attributes Globally     667
    Managing Attributes     667
Extracting Attributes     673
    Extracting Attribute Data     674
    Updating Data Extraction Table Data Manually     682
    Updating Data Extraction Table Data Automatically     683
Redefining Blocks     684
    Updating Blocks Created in the Current Drawing     684
    Updating Blocks Inserted from an External Drawing File     685
    Editing Blocks In-Place     685
    Redefining Blocks with Attributes     687
Using DesignCenter to Manage Blocks     689
    The DesignCenter Window     689
Tool Palettes and Dynamic Blocks     694
    Controlling Tool Palettes     695
    Tool Properties     697
    Adding Tools to Tool Palettes     699
    Introduction to Dynamic Blocks     700
Chapter Summary     705
Chapter Test Questions     706
Chapter Projects     709
Chapter 17  Working with External References     715
Introduction     715
The Reference Panel     716
External References Palette     717
Blocks Versus Xrefs     720
    Blocks     720
    Xrefs     721
    Nested Xrefs     721
Attaching an Xref     722
    Attachment Versus Overlay     722
    Setting the Path Type     722
    Insertion Point, Scale, and Rotation     723
Manage Xrefs Icon     723
Layers and Xrefs     725
    Changing Xref Layers     725
Managing Xrefs     726
    The Right-Click Menu     726
Editing Xrefs     731
    Edit Reference In-Place     731
    Opening Xrefs     732
    Clipping an Xref     732
Binding Parts of an Xref     734
Demand Loading Xrefs     735
Working with Raster Images     736
    Attaching Raster Images     736
    Managing Images     738
    Controlling Image Settings     738
Working with DWF Underlays     740
    Attaching DWF Underlays     740
    Managing DWF Underlays     741
    Controlling DWF Underlay Settings     742
    DWF Layer Control     743
Working with DGN Underlays     744
    Attaching DGN Underlays     744
    Managing DGN Underlays     745
    Controlling DGN Underlay Settings     745
Working with PDF Underlays     746
    Attaching PDF Underlays     746
    Managing PDF Underlays     747
    Controlling PDF Underlay Settings     747
Working with Point Cloud References     747
    Attaching Point Cloud References     747
    Controlling Point Cloud References     749
    Managing Point Cloud References     750
Working with Coordination Model References     751
    Attaching Coordination Model References     751
    Controlling Coordination Model References     751
Transmitting Drawings with References     752
    Using eTransmit     752
    Configuring the Transmittal     754
Chapter Summary     758
Chapter Test Questions     758
Chapter Projects     761
Chapter 18  Drawing Management Tool and Utilities     765
Introduction     765
Drawing File Backup and Recovery     766
    File Safety Precautions     766
    Recovering Lost or Corrupt Drawings     768
    Cleaning Up Drawing Files     770
Working with Different CAD File Formats     773
    Exporting to DWF/PDF Files     773
    Importing PDF Files     776
    Importing and Exporting Other File Types     778
    Working with DXF Files     780
    DWG Convert Tool     782
Object Linking and Embedding     784
    Object Linking Versus Object Embedding     784
    Inserting OLE Objects     784
    Editing OLE Objects     787
Action Recorder     788
Measure Tools     791
QuickCalc Calculator     792
    Using QuickCalc     793
    Converting Units     795
    Calculator Variables     796
Deleting Duplicate Objects     797
Web-Based Collaboration Tools     798
    AutoCAD Web and Mobile Apps     799
    Shared Views     801
    DWG Compare     803
Chapter Summary     806
Chapter Test Questions     806
Appendix A  Drafting Standards Overview     809
Appendix B  Command Reference     821
Appendix C  Command Aliases     851
Appendix D  System Variables     855
Appendix E  Express Tools     901
Glossary     907
Index     911