Wiley 978-0-470-60216-4 Datasheet

CHAPTER 1Getting to Know AutoCADOpening either AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT for the very first time can be an intimidating experience. Faced with such an expa

Chapter 1 • Getting to Know AutoCAD10Quick Access Toolbar Subscription CenterCommunincation CenterApplication Menu Button FavoritesHelp ButtonProgram

Introducing the AutoCAD Application Window11Notice the little box at the intersection of the two crosshair lines. This is one of several forms of the

Chapter 1 • Getting to Know AutoCAD12Below the command window is the status bar (see Figure 1.13).FIGURE 1.13 The left side of the status bar (top)

Introducing the AutoCAD Application Window13Dynamic UCS UCS stands for User Coordinate System, and Dynamic UCS is used in 3D drawings.Dynamic Input

Chapter 1 • Getting to Know AutoCAD14screen. You might have scroll bars below and to the right of the drawing area; although they can be useful, they

Introducing the AutoCAD Application Window15FIGURE 1.15 The Options dialog boxFIGURE 1.16 The Options dialog box opened at the Display tabAnother

Chapter 1 • Getting to Know AutoCAD16In the upper-left corner of the dialog box, in the Context list box, 2D Model Space should be selected. If it’s n

Working in the Command Window17side for LT), and move the slider to change the Crosshair Size setting. The crosshair length changes as a percentage of

Chapter 1 • Getting to Know AutoCAD18FIGURE 1.18 Resizing the command windowBefore you begin to draw in the next chapter, take a close look at the R

Using the Ribbon19Ribbon TabsPanelLarge Tool Icon (Button) Collapsed Ribbon PanelFIGURE 1.19 The Ribbon fully displaying all panels (top) and with

Chapter 1 • Getting to Know AutoCAD2Starting AutoCADIf you installed AutoCAD using the default settings for the location of the program files, start t

Chapter 1 • Getting to Know AutoCAD20Displaying the Ribbon ToolsThe Ribbon’s default location is at the top of the screen, but it can be moved or dock

Using the Ribbon21FIGURE 1.21 Undocking the RibbonIf you don’t want the Ribbon at all, you can turn it off by right-clicking to the right of the Rib

Chapter 1 • Getting to Know AutoCAD22exposes the additional tools. Follow these steps to learn how the Ribbon tools work and how they display informat

Using the Ribbon23 5. Click the Modify panel’s title bar to expand the panel and expose all of the Modify tools. 6. Often, you may find yourself re

Chapter 1 • Getting to Know AutoCAD24ways to customize the Ribbon, and the overall user interface. One of the easiest ways to custom tailor the user i

Using the Application Menu25changes and close Initial Setup. To ensure AutoCAD looks and performs as shown in this book, choose Discard changes and cl

Chapter 1 • Getting to Know AutoCAD26FIGURE 1.28 The Application menu showing the Print optionsOpening a Drawing with the Application MenuThe Applic

Using the Application Menu27FIGURE 1.30 Opening an existing drawing from the Application menuThis opens the Select File dialog box, where you can na

Chapter 1 • Getting to Know AutoCAD28FIGURE 1.32 Displaying a thumbnail of the selected fileo p e n I n g ne W FI l e sYou can open new or existin

Using the Application Menu29NOTE AutoCAD 2011 uses the AutoCAD 2010 drawing (DWG) le for-mat. This means that the les created in AutoCAD 2011 are c

Starting AutoCAD3FIGURE 1.1 The Welcome Screen featuring videos and links to help you get started with AutoCADAfter exploring the Welcome Screen, yo

Chapter 1 • Getting to Know AutoCAD30FIGURE 1.33 Displaying the open drawings in the Application menu 4. You can change the way AutoCAD displays t

Using the Drop-Down Menus31Classic workspace, clicking the down arrow at the right end of the Quick Access toolbar, and choosing Show Menu Bar (see Fi

Chapter 1 • Getting to Know AutoCAD32by menu, you can quickly find the command you want. Here are short descriptions of the other AutoCAD drop-down men

Using the Toolbars33FIGURE 1.37 Selecting a toolbar to displayWorkspacesYou haven’t been directed to make any significant changes to the workspace, b

Chapter 1 • Getting to Know AutoCAD34Using the KeyboardThe keyboard is an important tool for entering data and commands. If you’re a good typist, you

Are You Experienced?35you release the middle button. The second function of the middle scroll wheel is to zoom in/out within your drawing. When scroll

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Chapter 1 • Getting to Know AutoCAD4Exploring the AutoCAD User InterfaceOnce you dismiss all of the initial dialog boxes, AutoCAD opens to display its

Starting AutoCAD5Many of these parts remain unchanged regardless of how the software is con-figured, whereas other elements may not always be viewable.

Chapter 1 • Getting to Know AutoCAD6Quick Access ToolbarApplication MenuRibbon TabsCoordinate ReadoutRibbonStatus BarInfoCenterRibbon PanelView CubeCu

Starting AutoCAD7View CubeCursorMaterials Browser PaletteUCS IconFIGURE 1.5 The AutoCAD Application window using the 3D Modeling workspaceIf your sc

Chapter 1 • Getting to Know AutoCAD8might have different palettes displayed than those shown in Figure 1.7. If other palettes are still visible, click

Introducing the AutoCAD Application Window9If the drawing area looks like a sheet of graph paper, it means the grid, a drawing aid that you’ll look at