AutoCAD 2014 and AutoCAD LT 2014: No Experience Required: Autodesk Official Press / Edition 1

by Donnie Gladfelter

Overview

A step-by-step tutorial introduction to AutoCAD

As the only book to teach AutoCAD using a continuous tutorial which allows you to follow along sequentially or jump in at any exercise by downloading the drawing files, this Autodesk Official Press book is ideal for the AutoCAD novice. Industry expert and AutoCAD guru Donnie Gladfelter walks you through the powerful features of AutoCAD, provides you with a solid foundation of the basics, and shares the latest industry standards and techniques. The hands-on tutorial project inspired by real-world workflows that runs throughout the book helps you understand and apply the techniques and tools.

• Introduces you to the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT interface, basic commands, and industry workflows
• Builds upon the basics that are covered in order to gradually segue into more advanced features and skills, such as telling the story of your designs with annotation, generating elevations, and visualizing projects in 3D
• Covers dimensioning, external references, layouts and printing, using 3D, and more

AutoCAD 2014 and AutoCAD LT 2014: No Experience Required helps you quickly learn how to use AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT productively.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781118575109
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	07/29/2013
Pages:	1104
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 9.20(h) x 2.20(d)

About the Author

Donnie Gladfelter is a highly visible and respected thought leader in the CAD community. He is well known for the CAD Geek blog (www.thecadgeek.com), has written many articles for AUGIWorld magazine, and is a popular speaker at Autodesk University and other industry events. He has worked with the development team at Autodesk to help shape future versions of AutoCAD, and the company has featured him on many occasions, including in numerous video interviews. Donnie also helps empower CAD professionals locally and across the world as a Business Development Manager for CADD Microsystems (an Autodesk Platinum Partner) and as a former member of the Autodesk User Group International Board of Directors.

Table of Contents

Introduction xxv

Chapter 1 Getting to Know AutoCAD 1

Starting AutoCAD 2

Accessing the Welcome Screen 2

Understanding the Customer Involvement Program 5

Exploring the User Interface 6

Using Standard Workspaces 8

Switching the Current Workspace 9

Putting the User Interface to Work 11

Using the Ribbon 13

Using File Tabs to Manage Drawings 18

Working in the Command-Line Interface 19

Understanding the Status Bar 22

Using the Application Menu 24

Using the Toolbars 28

Using the Keyboard 29

Using the Mouse 30

If You Would Like More Practice… 31

Are You Experienced? 32

Now you can… 32

Chapter 2 Learning Basic Commands to Get Started 33

Using the Line Tool 34

Using Coordinates 39

Using Relative Coordinates 43

Using the Direct Distance Method 45

Drawing the Shape 46

Using Relative Cartesian Coordinates 46

Erasing Lines 48

Controlling How the Selection Tools Are Displayed 48

Using Relative Polar Coordinates 50

Using Direct Input 50

Using the Offset Command 52

Using the FILLET Command 55

Completing the Shape 59

Offsetting Lines to Mark an Opening 59

Extending Lines 60

Trimming Lines 62

If You Would Like More Practice… 66

Are You Experienced? 67

Now you can… 67

Chapter 3 Setting Up a Drawing 69

Setting Up the Drawing Units 70

Setting Up the Drawing Size 75

Using the Grid 75

Setting Up Drawing Limits 79

Drawing with Grid and Snap 83

Taking a Closer Look at Dynamic Input 86

Saving Your Work 88

Saving Drawings to Your Hard Drive or Network Drive 89

Saving Drawings to Autodesk 360 Storage 92

Understanding AutoCAD Units 94

Exploring Options for Linear Units 94

Exploring Options for Angular Units 95

Are You Experienced? 96

Now you can… 96

Chapter 4 Developing Drawing Strategies: Part 1 97

Laying Out the Walls 98

Creating Polylines from Existing Objects 99

Creating and Editing Polylines 102

Creating the Exterior Wall Lines 105

Creating the Interior Walls 108

Cutting Openings in the Walls 121

Creating Doors 131

Drawing Swinging Doors 132

Copying Objects 143

Mirroring Objects 145

Scaling the Bathroom Door 150

Drawing a Sliding Glass Door 152

Drawing the Bifold Doors 162

If You Would Like More Practice… 169

An Alternative Sliding Glass Door 169

An Addition to the Cabin 170

Three Views of a Block 171

Are You Experienced? 173

Now you can… 173

Chapter 5 Developing Drawing Strategies: Part 2 175

Starting and Running Commands 176

Drawing the Thresholds 178

Drawing the Front Threshold 179

Drawing the Back Threshold 184

Drawing the Decks and Stairs 187

Drawing the Front Deck 187

Drawing the Deck Posts 191

Drawing the Stairs 195

Mirroring the Post and Railing 197

Drawing the Back Deck and Stairs 201

Using Point Filters to Finish the Deck 207

Laying Out the Kitchen 210

Drawing the Counter 210

Drawing the Stove and Refrigerator 216

Completing the Stove with Parametrics 218

Drawing the Kitchen Sink 233

Constructing the Bathroom 236

Setting Running Object Snaps 237

Drawing a Shower Unit 238

Drawing the Bathroom Sink and Mirror 240

Positioning the Toilet and Shelves 244

Drawing the Hot Tub 248

If You Would Like More Practice… 252

Drawing the Cabin Again 252

Drawing Something Else 252

Drawing Furniture for the Cabin 252

Drawing a Gasket 253

Drawing a Parking Lot 255

Are You Experienced? 257

Now you can… 257

Chapter 6 Using Layers to Organize Your Drawing 259

Using Layers as an Organizing Tool 260

Setting Up Layers 262

Assigning Linetypes to Layers 276

Assigning Objects to Layers 282

Turning Off and Freezing Layers 298

Drawing the Headers 302

Drawing the Roof 306

Setting a Linetype Scale Factor 312

Drawing the Ridgeline 314

Using the Layer Walk Tool 315

Setting Properties of Layers and Objects 318

Assigning a Color or a Linetype to an Object Instead of a Layer 318

Making a Color or a Linetype Current 319

Using the Action Recorder 320

Creating Layer States 323

If You Would Like More Practice… 328

Experimenting with Linetypes and Linetype Scales 328

Setting Up Layers for Your Own Trade or Profession 329

Are You Experienced? 329

Now you can… 329

Chapter 7 Combining Objects into Blocks 331

Making a Block for a Door 332

Inserting the Door Block 340

Using Dynamic Blocks 345

Understanding and Using Groups 347

Finding Blocks in a Drawing 350

Using Grips to Detect a Block 350

Using the List Command to Detect a Block 351

Using the Properties Palette to Examine a Block 353

Creating a Window Block 355

Inserting the Window Block 360

Rotating a Block during Insertion 361

Using Snap Tracking to Set the Insertion Point 364

Changing a Block’s Scale Factor by Using Object Properties 366

Finishing the Windows 368

Revising a Block 373

Sharing Information between Drawings 375

Dragging and Dropping between Two Open Drawings 376

Copying Objects between Drawings 379

Using the AutoCAD DesignCenter 380

Using Other Ways to Share Information between Drawings 387

If You Would Like More Practice… 395

Are You Experienced? 397

Now you can… 397

Chapter 8 Controlling Text in a Drawing 399

Setting Up Text Styles 400

Determining Text and Drawing Scale 400

Defining a Text Style for View Titles 402

Placing Titles of Views in the Drawing 406

Using Annotative Text 411

Defining an Annotative Text Style 411

Placing Room Labels in the Floor Plan 414

Using Text in a Grid 425

Creating a Border and Title Block 437

Using Multiline Text 454

Finishing the Title Block 454

Using Mtext for General Notes 458

Using the Spell-Check Feature 467

Exploring Other Aspects of Multiline Text 471

If You Would Like More Practice… 476

Are You Experienced? 477

Now you can… 477

Chapter 9 Using Dynamic Blocks and Tables 479

Using Attributes for a Grid 480

Defining Blocks with Attributes 485

Inserting Blocks with Attributes 487

Editing Attribute Text 490

Setting Up Multiple Attributes in a Block 491

Defining a Block with Multiple Attributes 496

Calculating Areas 498

Inserting the Room Information Block 502

Editing Attributes 507

Controlling the Visibility of Attributes 511

Exploring Other Uses for Attributes 515

Creating a Dynamic Block 516

Setting Up Parameters and Actions 517

Fine-Tuning the Dynamic Block with the Properties Palette 521

Inserting a Dynamic Block 525

Creating a Table 531

Defining a Table Style 531

Designing a Table 535

Adding Formulas to a Table 539

Creating Tables from Attributes 544

Modifying the Table Display 549

If You Would Like More Practice… 552

Are You Experienced? 552

Now you can… 552

Chapter 10 Generating Elevations 553

Drawing the South Elevation 554

Creating the South Elevation 555

Setting Up Lines for the Heights 556

Using Construction Lines to Project Elevation Points 559

Copying Objects by Using Grips 560

Trimming Lines in the Elevation 564

Assigning Elevation Layers 570

Drawing the Decks in Elevation 571

Generating the Other Elevations 587

Making the Opposite Elevation 588

Revising the New South Elevation 591

Making the Front and Back Elevations 598

Considering Drawing Scale Issues 609

Drawing Interior Elevations 610

If You Would Like More Practice… 610

Are You Experienced? 612

Now you can… 612

Chapter 11 Working with Hatches, Gradients, and Tool Palettes 613

Hatching the South Elevation 614

Looking at Hatch Patterns 618

Hatching the Rest of the South Elevation 620

Using Hatches in the Floor Plan 633

Creating the User-Defined Hatch Pattern 634

Controlling the Origin of the Hatch Pattern 636

Finishing the Hatches for the Floors 638

Modifying the Shape of Hatch Patterns 640

Creating and Managing Tool Palettes 642

Creating a New Tool Palette 642

Setting Up a Palette for Hatches 646

Creating a Palette for Commands 648

If You Would Like More Practice… 650

Creating the Hatch Patterns for the Other Elevations 650

Creating Your Hatch Palette 652

Are You Experienced? 653

Now you can… 653

Chapter 12 Dimensioning a Drawing 655

Introducing Dimension Styles 656

Preparing for Dimensioning 657

Making a New Dimension Style 659

Setting Up the Symbols And Arrows Tab 661

Making Changes in the Text Tab 662

Working with Settings on the Fit Tab 664

Setting Up the Primary Units Tab (Architectural) 665

Setting Up the Primary Units Tab (Metric) 667

Completing the Dimension Style Setup 668

Exploring the Alternate Units Tab 670

Exploring the Tolerances Tab 672

Placing Dimensions on the Drawing 678

Placing Horizontal Dimensions 678

Using the Dimension Continue Command 680

Using the Dimension Baseline Command 683

Setting Up Vertical Dimensions 684

Finishing the Dimensions 688

Using Other Types of Dimensions 689

Using Radial Dimensions 690

Adding a Diameter Dimension 691

Adding an Arc Length 692

Setting Up Parent and Child Dimensioning Styles 692

Using Aligned and Angular Dimensions 695

Using Ordinate Dimensions 697

Using Leader Lines 700

Modifying Dimensions 707

Editing Dimension Text Content 708

Moving Dimensions 711

Adjusting Space between Stacked Dimensions 713

Using Dimension Overrides 714

Dimensioning Short Distances 716

If You Would Like More Practice… 720

Dimensioning the Garage Addition 720

Dimensioning to a Centerline 721

Completing Further Exercises 725

Are You Experienced? 725

Now you can… 725

Chapter 13 Managing External References 727

Drawing a Site Plan 728

Using Surveyor’s Units 729

Drawing the Driveway 733

Setting Up an External Reference 741

Using the External References Palette 741

Organizing the Drawing Objects 747

Moving and Rotating an Xref 748

Modifying an Xref Drawing 749

Modifying an Xref by Making It the Current Drawing 750

Modifying an Xref from within the Host Drawing 753

Adding an Image to a Drawing 759

Putting Xrefs to Use 762

Exploring Additional Xref Features 764

Setting the Xref Path 764

Changing Path Types 766

Binding Xrefs 768

Exploring on Your Own 770

If You Would Like More Practice… 771

Building Architectural References 771

Comparing Reference Types 772

Are You Experienced? 772

Now you can… 772

Chapter 14 Using Layouts to Set Up a Print 773

Getting Ready 774

Preparing the Title Block 774

Creating the Title Block Reference 775

Defining the Attributes 780

Making the Sheet Information Block 785

Setting Up a Sheet Template 787

Setting the Layout Parameters 789

Finishing the Sheet Template 793

Creating Your First Plan Sheet 799

Using Sheet Set Manager 802

Creating a New Sheet Set 802

Adding Existing Drawings to a Sheet Set 808

Creating Drawings with Sheet Set Manager 812

Setting Up Layouts 817

Referencing the Model 817

Creating the Paper Space Viewport 820

Setting the Viewport Scale 822

Copying the Layouts 825

Adjusting a Viewport’s Contents 838

Setting the Linetype Scale 839

Managing the Floor Plan Sheet File 840

Managing the Elevations Sheet File 846

Setting Up the Site Plan Sheet 850

Defining a New Viewport Scale 852

Locking and Turning Off Viewports 855

If You Would Like More Practice… 857

Are You Experienced? 858

Now you can… 858

Chapter 15 Printing a Drawing 859

Using the Plot Dialog Box 860

Printer/Plotter 862

Paper Size and Number of Copies 863

Plot Area 863

Plot Scale 869

Plot Offset and Plot Options 870

The Expanded Plot Dialog Box 872

Applying Plot-Style Tables 874

Introducing Plot-Style Table Files 874

Understanding How Plot-Style Table Files Are Organized 876

Assigning Plot-Style Tables to Drawings 879

Printing a Drawing 885

Determining Lineweights for a Drawing 885

Setting Other Properties of Layers 891

Setting Up the Other Parameters for the Print 892

Previewing a Print 894

Viewing Plots in Design Review 896

Printing a Drawing Using Layouts 898

Updating Model File Layer Properties in Sheet Files 898

Plotting a Single Layout 901

Printing a Drawing with Multiple Viewports 903

Printing with a Large-Format Printer 903

Publishing Multiple Layouts 905

Publishing with Sheet Set Manager 907

Going Forward 910

If You Would Like More Practice… 911

Are You Experienced? 912

Now you can… 912

Chapter 16 Creating 3D Geometry 913

Modeling in 3D 914

Setting Up the 3D Workspace and Environment 914

Making the Walls 919

Creating the Door and Window Block-Outs 924

Moving and Rotating in 3D 928

Using the First Right-Hand Rule 929

Cutting the Openings 933

Creating the Floor, Foundation, and Thresholds 935

Creating the Foundation and Supports 937

Building the Windows 939

Navigating with the ViewCube 954

Adding the Sliding Door 956

Building the Decks 960

Putting a Roof on the Cabin 979

Getting Further Directions in 3D 993

Using Other Solid-Modeling Tools 993

Using Mesh-Modeling Tools 996

Using Surface-Modeling Tools 997

If You Would Like More Practice… 999

Are You Experienced? 1000

Now you can… 1000

Chapter 17 Rendering and Materials 1001

Creating Cameras to Reproduce Views 1002

Using the Loft Tool 1002

Creating the Cameras 1007

Creating a Lighting Scheme 1011

Creating a Light Source 1011

Enabling Shadows 1014

Creating the First Render 1016

Controlling the Background of the Rendering 1020

Adding Materials 1023

Adjusting the Material Mapping 1028

Rendering to a File 1033

If You Would Like More Practice… 1037

Are You Experienced? 1037

Now you can… 1037

Index 1039