Mastering AutoCAD 2019 and AutoCAD LT 2019. Edition No. 1

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction xxix

Part 1 The Basics 1

Chapter 1 Exploring the Interface 3

Taking a Guided Tour 3

Launching AutoCAD 4

The AutoCAD Window 5

Using the Application Menu 7

Using the Ribbon 8

Picking Points in the Drawing Area 14

Using the UCS Icon 14

Working in the Command Window 15

Working with AutoCAD 15

Opening an Existing File 16

Getting a Closer Look 17

Saving a File as You Work 21

Making Changes 21

Working with Multiple Files 22

Adding a Predrawn Symbol with the Tool Palettes 25

The Bottom Line 28

Chapter 2 Creating Your First Drawing 29

Getting to Know the Home Tab’s Draw and Modify Panels 29

Starting Your First Drawing 32

Specifying Exact Distances with Coordinates 36

Specifying Polar Coordinates 38

Specifying Relative Cartesian Coordinates 39

Interpreting the Cursor Modes and Understanding Prompts 41

Understanding Cursor Modes 41

Choosing Command Options 43

Selecting Objects 48

Selecting Objects in AutoCAD 48

Providing Base Points 51

Using Noun/Verb Selection 54

Editing with Grips 60

Stretching Lines by Using Grips 60

Moving and Rotating with Grips 63

Understanding Dynamic Input 65

Displaying Data in a Text Window 70

Displaying the Properties of an Object 71

Getting Help 74

Using the Info Center 74

Finding Additional Sources of Help 74

The Bottom Line 75

Chapter 3 Setting Up and Using the Drafting Tools 77

Setting Up a Work Area 77

Specifying Units 78

Fine-Tuning the Measurement System 80

Setting up the Drawing Limits 81

Looking at an Alternative to Limits 83

Understanding Scale Factors 83

Using Polar Tracking 85

Setting the Polar Tracking Angle 86

Exploring the Drawing Process 88

Locating an Object in Reference to Others 88

Getting a Closer Look 89

Modifying an Object 89

Planning and Laying Out a Drawing 94

Making a Preliminary Sketch 95

Using the Layout 96

Erasing the Layout Lines 102

Putting on the Finishing Touches 105

Aligning Objects by Using Object Snap Tracking 106

Using the AutoCAD Modes as Drafting Tools 110

Using Grid Mode as a Background Grid 111

Using Snap Modes 113

The Bottom Line 114

Chapter 4 Organizing Objects with Blocks and Groups 115

Creating and Using a Symbol 115

Understanding the Block Definition Dialog Box 118

Inserting a Symbol 120

Scaling and Rotating Blocks 122

Using an Existing Drawing as a Symbol 124

Modifying a Block 127

Unblocking and Redefining a Block 127

Saving a Block as a Drawing File 129

Replacing Existing Files with Blocks 130

Understanding the Write Block Dialog Box Options 131

Other Uses for Blocks 131

Understanding the Annotation Scale 132

Grouping Objects 135

Modifying Members of a Group 137

Ungrouping, Adding, and Subtracting from a Group 140

Working with the Object Grouping Dialog Box 141

Working with the AutoCAD LT Group Manager 143

The Bottom Line 144

Chapter 5 Keeping Track of Layers and Blocks 147

Organizing Information with Layers 147

Creating and Assigning Layers 148

Working on Layers 155

Controlling Layer Visibility 158

Finding the Layers You Want 160

Taming an Unwieldy List of Layers 161

Assigning Line types to Layers 169

Adding a Line type to a Drawing 170

Controlling Line weights 174

Keeping Track of Blocks and Layers 174

Getting a Text File List of Layers or Blocks 175

The Bottom Line 177

Part 2 Mastering Intermediate Skills 179

Chapter 6 Editing and Reusing Data to Work Efficiently 181

Creating and Using Templates 182

Creating a Template 182

Using a Template 183

Copying an Object Multiple Times 184

Making Circular Copies 184

Making Row and Column Copies 186

Fine-Tuning Your View 188

Finishing the Kitchenette 190

Array Along a Path 191

Making Changes to an Associative Array 192

Developing Your Drawing 196

Importing Settings 196

Using Osnap Tracking to Place Objects 199

Finding an Exact Distance Along a Curve 216

Changing the Length of Objects 218

Creating a New Drawing by Using Parts from Another Drawing 219

Eliminating Unused Blocks, Layers, Line types, Shapes, Styles, and More 220

The Bottom Line 222

Chapter 7 Mastering Viewing Tools, Hatches,

and External References 223

Assembling the Parts 223

Taking Control of the AutoCAD Display 227

Understanding Regeneration and Redrawing 227

Saving Views 228

Understanding the Frozen Layer Option 231

Using Hatch Patterns in Your Drawings 233

Placing a Hatch Pattern in a Specific Area 233

Adding Predefined Hatch Patterns 235

Positioning Hatch Patterns Accurately 237

Updating a Block from an External File 238

Changing the Hatch Area 240

Modifying a Hatch Pattern 241

Understanding the Boundary Hatch Options 243

Controlling Boundaries with the Boundaries Panel 243

Fine-Tuning the Boundary Behavior 244

Controlling Hatch Behavior with the Options Panel 244

Controlling Hatch Default Layer, Layout Scale, and ISO Line Weight 246

Using Additional Hatch Features 246

Using Gradient Shading 247

Tips for Using Hatch 249

Space Planning and Hatch Patterns 249

Using External References 253

Attaching a Drawing as an External Reference 253

Other Differences Between External References and Blocks 257

Other External Reference Options 258

Clipping Xref Views and Improving Performance 260

Editing Xrefs in Place 263

Using the External Reference Tab 265

Adding and Removing Objects from Blocks and Xrefs 266

Understanding the Reference Edit Dialog Box Options 268

The Bottom Line 269

Chapter 8 Introducing Printing, Plotting, and Layouts 271

Plotting the Plan 271

Understanding the Plotter Settings 275

Paper Size 275

Drawing Orientation 276

Plot Area 276

Plot Scale 277

Shaded Viewport Options 280

Plot Offset 282

Plot Options 282

Exit Options 283

Plotting Using Layout Views 284

Setting Plot Scale in the Layout Viewports 286

Adding an Output Device 288

Editing a Plotter Configuration 290

Storing a Page Setup 292

Using Electronic Plots 296

Exporting to PDF Through the Plot Dialog Box 297

Exporting to PDF Through the Export To DWF/PDF Ribbon Panel 298

Exporting Autodesk DWF and DWFx Files 298

The Bottom Line 300

Chapter 9 Adding Text to Drawings 301

Preparing a Drawing for Text 301

Organizing Text by Styles 302

Getting Familiar with the Text and Annotation Scale Control Panels 304

Setting the Annotation Scale and Adding Text 305

Inserting Text 305

Exploring Text and Scale 307

Understanding the Text Style Dialog Box Options 309

Styles 309

Set Current/New/Delete 309

Font 310

Size 310

Effects 310

Exploring Text Formatting in AutoCAD 311

Adjusting the Text Height and Font 311

Understanding the Text Editor Tab 313

Adding Symbols and Special Characters 315

Setting Indents and Tabs 318

What Do the Fonts Look Like? 321

Adding Simple Single-Line Text Objects 323

Justifying Single-Line Text Objects 325

Using Special Characters with Single-Line Text Objects 327

Using the Check Spelling Feature 329

How Check Spelling Works 329

Choosing a Dictionary 330

Substituting Fonts 331

Finding and Replacing Text 332

The Bottom Line 337

Chapter 10 Using Fields and Tables 339

Using Fields to Associate Text with Drawing Properties 339

Adding Tables to Your Drawing 343

Creating a Table 343

Adding Cell Text 345

Adjusting Table Text Orientation and Location 346

Editing the Table Line Work 349

Adding Formulas to Cells 352

Using Formulas Directly in Cells 352

Using Other Math Operations 353

Importing and Exporting Tables 354

Importing a Table 354

Exporting Tables 356

Creating Table Styles 356

Adding or Modifying a Table Style 356

The Table Style Options 358

The Bottom Line 359

Chapter 11 Using Dimensions 361

Understanding the Components of a Dimension 361

Creating a Dimension Style 362

Setting Up the Primary Unit Style 364

Setting the Height for Dimension Text 366

Setting the Location and Orientation of Dimension Text 367

Choosing an Arrow Style and Setting the Dimension Scale 368

Setting Up Alternate Units 372

Setting the Current Dimension Style 373

Modifying a Dimension Style 374

Drawing Linear Dimensions 374

Understanding the Dimensions Panel 374

Placing Horizontal and Vertical Dimensions 375

Continuing a Dimension 376

Drawing Dimensions from a Common Base Extension Line 378

Adjusting the Distance Between Dimensions 380

Editing Dimensions 381

Appending Data to Dimension Text 381

Using Grips to Make Minor Adjustments to Dimensions 383

Changing Style Settings of Individual Dimensions 385

Editing Dimensions and Other Objects Together 386

Associating Dimensions with Objects 389

Adding a String of Dimensions with a Single Operation 390

Adding or Removing the Alternate Dimensions 390

Dimensioning Nonorthogonal Objects 392

Dimensioning Nonorthogonal Linear Distances 392

Dimensioning Radii, Diameters, and Arcs 393

Skewing Dimension Lines 398

Using the Dimension Tool 398

Adding a Note with a Leader Arrow 402

Creating Multileader Styles 404

Editing Multileader Notes 406

Breaking a Dimension Line for a Leader 406

Applying Ordinate Dimensions 407

Adding Tolerance Notation 408

Inserting Tolerance and Datum Values 408

Adding Inspection Dimensions 409

The Bottom Line 411

Part 3 Mastering Advanced Skills 413

Chapter 12 Using Attributes 415

Creating Attributes 416

Adding Attributes to Blocks 416

Copying and Editing Attribute Definitions 419

Turning the Attribute Definitions into a Block 421

Inserting Blocks Containing Attributes 422

Editing Attributes 426

Editing Attribute Values One at a Time 426

Editing Attribute Text Formats and Properties 427

Making Global Changes to Attribute Values 428

Making Invisible Attributes Visible 430

Making Global Format and Property Changes to Attributes 431

Other Block Attribute Manager Options 432

Redefining Blocks Containing Attributes 433

Extracting and Exporting Attribute Information 434

Performing the Extraction 434

Extracting Attribute Data to an AutoCAD Table 439

The Bottom Line 441

Chapter 13 Copying Existing Drawings from Other Sources 443

Methods for Converting Paper Drawings to AutoCAD Files 443

Importing a Raster Image 444

Working with a Raster Image 446

Scaling a Raster Image 448

Controlling Object Visibility and Overlap with Raster Images 448

Adjusting Brightness, Contrast, and Fade 450

Clipping a Raster Image 452

Turning Off the Frame, Adjusting Overall Quality,

and Controlling Transparency 454

Working with PDF Files 456

Importing a PDF 456

Scaling and Osnaps with PDFs 458

Controlling the PDF Display 459

Importing a PDF as an AutoCAD Drawing 461

Reconstructing Imported AutoCAD SHX Fonts 463

Coordinating Geographic Locations 464

Making Adjustments to the Map 467

Finding Measurements and Distances 469

The Bottom Line 470

Chapter 14 Advanced Editing and Organizing 471

Using External References 471

Preparing Existing Drawings for External Referencing 472

Assembling Xrefs to Build a Drawing 474

Updating Blocks in Xrefs 478

Importing Named Elements from Xrefs 479

Controlling the Xref Search Path 483

Managing Layers 484

Saving and Recalling Layer Settings 484

Other Tools for Managing Layers 487

Using Advanced Tools: Filter and Quick Select 490

Filtering Selections 490

Using Quick Select 494

Using the QuickCalc Calculator 497

Adding Foot and Inch Lengths and Finding the Sum of Angles 498

Converting Units with QuickCalc 501

Using QuickCalc to Find Points 502

Finding Fractional Distances Between Two Points 505

Using QuickCalc While in the Middle of a Command 507

Storing Expressions and Values 509

Guidelines for Working with QuickCalc 511

The Bottom Line 513

Chapter 15 Laying Out Your Printer Output 515

Understanding Model Space and Paper Space 515

Switching from Model Space to Paper Space 516

Setting the Size of a Paper Space Layout 518

Creating New Paper Space Viewports 519

Creating a Viewport from a Saved View 521

Reaching Inside Viewports 522

Working with Paper Space Viewports 523

Scaling Views in Paper Space 525

Setting Layers in Individual Viewports 527

Creating and Using Multiple Paper Space Layouts 531

Creating Odd-Shaped Viewports 532

Understanding Lineweights, Linetypes, and Dimensions in Paper Space 535

Controlling and Viewing Lineweights in Paper Space 535

The Lineweight Settings Dialog Box 537

Linetype Scales and Paper Space 538

Dimensioning in Paper Space Layouts 538

Other Uses for Paper Space 541

The Bottom Line 542

Chapter 16 Making “Smart” Drawings with Parametric Tools 543

Why Use Parametric Drawing Tools? 543

Connecting Objects with Geometric Constraints 545

Using AutoConstrain to Add Constraints Automatically 545

Editing a Drawing Containing Constraints 546

Using Other Geometric Constraints 549

Using Constraints in the Drawing Process 550

Controlling Sizes with Dimensional Constraints 551

Adding a Dimensional Constraint 551

Editing a Dimensional Constraint 553

Using Formulas to Control and Link Dimensions 555

Adding a Formula Parameter 556

Testing the Formula 557

Using Other Formulas 558

Editing the Constraint Options 559

Putting Constraints to Use 560

The Bottom Line 562

Chapter 17 Using Dynamic Blocks 565

Exploring the Block Editor 565

Opening the Block Editor 566

Editing a Block and Creating New Blocks 567

Creating a Dynamic Block 568

Adding a Parameter 569

Adding an Action 570

Adding an Increment Value 572

Editing Parameters and Actions 574

Keeping an Object Centered 574

Using Constraints in Dynamic Blocks 575

Adding a List of Predefined Options 580

Creating Multiple Shapes in One Block 584

Rotating Objects in Unison 589

Filling in a Space Automatically with Objects 592

Including Block Information with Data Extraction 594

The Bottom Line 596

Chapter 18 Drawing Curves 599

Introducing Polylines 599

Drawing a Polyline 599

Setting Polyline Options 601

Editing Polylines 602

Setting Pedit Options 606

Smoothing Polylines 606

Editing Vertices 608

Creating a Polyline Spline Curve 616

Using True Spline Curves 619

Drawing a True Spline 619

Understanding the Spline Options 621

Fine-Tuning Spline Curves 622

Marking Divisions on Curves 625

Dividing Objects into Segments of Equal Length 625

Dividing Objects into Specified Lengths 627

The Bottom Line 628

Chapter 19 Getting and Exchanging Data from Drawings 631

Finding the Area of Closed Boundaries 631

Finding the Area of an Object 632

Using Hatch Patterns to Find Areas 633

Adding and Subtracting Areas with the Area Command 635

Getting General Information 638

Determining the Drawing’s Status 639

Keeping Track of Time 640

Getting Information from System Variables 641

Keeping a Log of Your Activity 642

Capturing and Saving Text Data from the AutoCAD Text Window 643

Understanding the Command Window Context Menu 643

Storing Searchable Information in AutoCAD Files 644

Searching for AutoCAD Files 646

Recovering Corrupted Files 646

Using the DXF File Format to Exchange CAD Data with Other Programs 647

Exporting DXF Files 647

Opening or Importing DXF Files 649

Using AutoCAD Drawings in Page Layout Programs 650

Exporting Raster Files 650

Exporting Vector Files 654

Using OLE to Import Data 656

Editing OLE Links 658

Importing Worksheets as AutoCAD Tables 659

Understanding Options for Embedding Data 661

Using the Clipboard to Export AutoCAD Drawings 662

The Bottom Line 662

Part 4 3D Modeling and Imaging 665

Chapter 20 Creating 3D Drawings 667

Getting to Know the 3D Modeling Workspace 667

Drawing in 3D Using Solids 669

Adjusting Appearances 670

Creating a 3D Box 671

Editing 3D Solids with Grips 672

Constraining Motion with the Gizmo 673

Rotating Objects in 3D Using Dynamic UCS 674

Drawing on a 3D Object’s Surface 676

Pushing and Pulling Shapes from a Solid 678

Making Changes to Your Solid 680

Creating 3D Forms from 2D Shapes 683

Isolating Coordinates with Point Filters 687

Moving Around Your Model 690

Finding Isometric and Orthogonal Views 690

Rotating Freely Around Your Model 691

Changing Your View Direction 692

Using SteeringWheels 694

Changing Where You Are Looking 696

Flying Through Your View 697

Changing from Perspective to Parallel Projection 698

Getting a Visual Effect 698

Using Visual Styles 699

Creating a Sketched Look with Visual Styles 699

In-Canvas Viewport Controls 702

Turning a 3D View into a 2D AutoCAD Drawing 702

Using the Point Cloud Feature 705

The Bottom Line 706

Chapter 21 Using Advanced 3D Features 709

Setting Up AutoCAD for This Chapter 709

Mastering the User Coordinate System 710

Defining a UCS 711

Saving a UCS 713

Working in a UCS 714

Building 3D Parts in Separate Files 715

Understanding the UCS Options 718

UCS Based on Object Orientation 718

UCS Based on Offset Orientation 721

UCS Rotated Around an Axis 721

Orienting a UCS in the View Plane 723

Manipulating the UCS Icon 723

Saving a UCS with a View 725

Using Viewports to Aid in 3D Drawing 725

Using the Array Tools 729

Making Changes to an Associative Array 730

Creating Complex 3D Surfaces 731

Laying Out a 3D Form 731

Spherical and Cylindrical Coordinate Formats 732

Using a 3D Polyline 734

Creating a Curved 3D Surface 734

Converting the Surface into a Solid 739

Shaping the Solid 740

Finding the Interference Between Two Solids 741

Creating Tubes with the Sweep Tool 744

Using Sweep to Create Complex Forms 746

Creating Spiral Forms 749

Creating Surface Models 751

Slicing a Solid with a Surface 753

Finding the Volume of a Cut 754

Understanding the Loft Command 756

Moving Objects in 3D Space 760

Aligning Objects in 3D Space 760

Moving an Object in 3D 761

Rotating an Object in 3D 763

The Bottom Line 764

Chapter 22 Editing and Visualizing 3D Solids 765

Understanding Solid Modeling 765

Creating Solid Forms 768

Joining Primitives 768

Cutting Portions Out of a Solid 769

Creating Complex Solids 772

Tapering an Extrusion 772

Sweeping a Shape on a Curved Path 773

Revolving a Polyline 775

Editing Solids 777

Splitting a Solid into Two Pieces 777

Rounding Corners with the Fillet Tool 779

Chamfering Corners with the Chamfer Tool 780

Using the Solid-Editing Tools 781

Streamlining the 2D Drawing Process 790

Drawing Standard Top, Front, and Right-Side Views 791

Creating 2D Drawings with the Base View Command 794

Adding Dimensions and Notes in a Layout 798

Using Visual Styles with a Viewport 799

Visualizing Solids 800

The Bottom Line 811

Chapter 23 Exploring 3D Mesh and Surface Modeling 813

Creating a Simple 3D Mesh 813

Creating a Mesh Primitive 814

Understanding the Parts of a Mesh 815

Smoothing a Mesh 815

Editing Faces and Edges 817

Stretching Faces 819

Moving an Edge 821

Adding More Faces 824

Rotating an Edge 827

Adding a Crease 828

Splitting and Extruding a Mesh Face 830

Creating Mesh Surfaces 833

Revolved Surface 833

Edge Surface 835

Ruled Surface 836

Tabulated Surface 837

Converting Meshes to Solids 837

Understanding 3D Surfaces 838

Editing Surfaces 841

Using Extrude, Surface Trim, and Surface Fillet 842

Using Surface Blend, Patch, and Offset 845

Understanding Associativity 848

Editing with Control Vertices 852

Editing with the CV Edit Bar 855

Making Holes in a Surface with the Project Geometry Panel 857

Visualizing Curvature: Understanding the Analysis Panel 859

The Bottom Line 861

Part 5 Customization and Integration 863

Chapter 24 Customizing Toolbars, Menus, Linetypes,

and Hatch Patterns 865

Using Workspaces 865

Customizing the User Interface 867

Taking a Quick Customization Tour 867

Understanding the Customizations In All Files Panel 871

Getting the Overall View 874

Finding Commands in the Command List 875

Opening Preview, Button Image, and Shortcuts 875

Getting to the Core of Customization in the Properties Group 876

Creating Your Own Ribbon Panels and Menus 877

Customizing Ribbon Panel Tools 878

Creating Macros in Tools and Menus 881

Pausing for User Input 883

Opening an Expanded Text Box for the Macro Option 883

Editing Keyboard Shortcuts 884

Saving, Loading, and Unloading Your Customizations 887

Understanding the DIESEL Macro Language 889

Using DIESEL at the Command Line 889

Using DIESEL in a Custom Menu Macro 891

Using DIESEL as a Menu Bar Option Label 892

Using DIESEL and Fields to Generate Text 893

Creating Custom Linetypes 896

Viewing Available Linetypes 896

Creating a New Linetype 897

Understanding the Linetype Code 898

Creating Complex Linetypes 899

Creating Hatch Patterns 901

The Bottom Line 903

Chapter 25 Managing and Sharing Your Drawings 905

Sharing Drawings Online 905

Sharing Project Files with eTransmit 906

Publishing Your Drawings 910

Exchanging Drawing Sets 910

Exploring Other Publish Options 912

Creating a PDF or DWF File by Using the Plot Dialog Box 914

Sharing Views for Commenting 916

Using the Shared Views Tool 917

Using the Autodesk Viewer Web Page 919

Adding Hyperlinks to Drawings 920

Creating Hyperlinks 921

Editing and Deleting Hyperlinks 922

Taking a Closer Look at the Hyperlink Options 923

Managing Your Drawings with DesignCenter and the Tool Palettes 924

Getting Familiar with DesignCenter 924

Opening and Inserting Files with DesignCenter 928

Finding and Extracting the Contents of a Drawing 929

Exchanging Data Between Open Files 933

Loading Specific Files into DesignCenter 934

Customizing the Tool Palettes with DesignCenter 934

Comparing Drawing Versions to Discover Changes 939

Using the Drawing Compare Tool 939

Looking at the Compare Tab Tools 940

Establishing Office Standards 940

Establishing Layering and Text Conventions 941

Checking Office Standards 942

Converting Multiple Layer Settings 946

Exploring Other Layer Translator Options 948

The Bottom Line 949

Appendices 951

Appendix A The Bottom Line 951

Chapter 1: Exploring the Interface 951

Chapter 2: Creating Your First Drawing 952

Chapter 3: Setting Up and Using the Drafting Tools 953

Chapter 4: Organizing Objects with Blocks and Groups 954

Chapter 5: Keeping Track of Layers and Blocks 955

Chapter 6: Editing and Reusing Data to Work Efficiently 955

Chapter 7: Mastering Viewing Tools, Hatches, and External References 956

Chapter 8: Introducing Printing, Plotting, and Layouts 957

Chapter 9: Adding Text to Drawings 958

Chapter 10: Using Fields and Tables 959

Chapter 11: Using Dimensions 960

Chapter 12: Using Attributes 961

Chapter 13: Copying Existing Drawings from Other Sources 962

Chapter 14: Advanced Editing and Organizing 963

Chapter 15: Laying Out Your Printer Output 963

Chapter 16: Making “Smart” Drawings with Parametric Tools 964

Chapter 17: Using Dynamic Blocks 965

Chapter 18: Drawing Curves 966

Chapter 19: Getting and Exchanging Data from Drawings 968

Chapter 20: Creating 3D Drawings 969

Chapter 21: Using Advanced 3D Features 970

Chapter 22: Editing and Visualizing 3D Solids 971

Chapter 23: Exploring 3D Mesh and Surface Modeling 972

Chapter 24: Customizing Toolbars, Menus, Linetypes, and Hatch Patterns 973

Chapter 25: Managing and Sharing Your Drawings 975

Appendix B Installing and Setting Up AutoCAD 977

Before Installing AutoCAD 977

Proceeding with the Installation 977

Configuring AutoCAD 978

The Files Tab 978

The Display Tab 981

The Open And Save Tab 983

The Plot and Publish Tab 986

The System Tab 986

The User Preferences Tab 987

The Drafting Tab 989

The 3D Modeling Tab 991

The Selection Tab 992

The Profiles Tab 994

Turning On the Noun/Verb Selection Method 995

Turning on the Grips Feature 995

Setting Up the Tracking Vector Feature 996

Adjusting the AutoCAD 3D Graphics System 996

Finding Folders That Contain AutoCAD Files 996

Setting Up AutoCAD with a White Background 997

Appendix C The Autodesk AutoCAD 2019 Certification 999

Index

Authors

George Omura Brian C. Benton