AutoCad Basic Commands

How to draw a line: In this tutorial we will draw a straight line segment by using the Line symbol from the Draw tool bar and the line command.

Method 1: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Select the line symbol from the draw menu. Select a starting point for the line. Select an end point for the line. Hit Enter.

Method 2: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Type Line or L in the command line. Hit Enter. Select a starting point for the line. Select an end point for the line. Hit Enter.

Method 3: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Select the line symbol from the draw menu or type Line or L in the command line. Select a starting point for the line. Move the cursor in the line direction. Enter the length of the line, for example: type 3’ or 3”. Hit Enter. Hit Enter again to get out of the command.

If you need any further help, contact me using the contact page or visit the discussion forum site http://www.2learncad.com/forum.

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How to trim a line: An AutoCAD line can be shortened by trimming the edges. In this tutorial we will trim a straight line segment by using the trim symbol from the modify tool bar and the trim command.

Method 1: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Select the trim symbol from the modify menu. Select the intersected object you want to trim from. Hit Enter. Select the line you want to trim.

Method 2: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Type Trim or TR in the command line. Hit Enter. Select the intersected object you want to trim from. Hit Enter. Select the line you want to trim.



How

to draw a circle:

Method 1: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Select the circle symbol from the draw menu. Click on the screen where you want to specify the center point for the circle. Drag the mouse across to specify a node of the circle. Click.

Method 2: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Type Circle or C in the command line. Hit Enter. Click on the screen where you want to specify the center point for the circle. Drag the mouse across to specify a node of the circle. Click.

Method 3: 1. Select the circle symbol from the draw menu or type Circle or C in the command line. 2. Click on the screen where you want to specify the center point for the circle. 3. Specify the radius or diameter of the circle by typing R or D. 4. Hit Enter. 5. Input the numeric value. 6. Hit Enter.


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How

to extend a circle:

Method 1: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Select the extend symbol from the modify menu. Select the intersected object to extend to. Hit Enter. Select the line you want to extend.

Method 2: 1. Select the line you want to extend. (The grip will be automatically highlighted in blue). 2. Pick a grip from the line. 3. Drag the line from the end grip or side that you want to extend. (This is also a stretch method).



Drawing

a rectangular Polyline:

Method 1: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Select the Rectangle symbol from the draw menu. Specify on the screen the first corner for the rectangle you want to draw. Type D to specify the dimension for the rectangle. Input the length. Input the width. Click anywhere inside the rectangle area to get out of the command.

Method 2: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Type RECTANG or REC in the command line. Specify on the screen the first corner for the rectangle you want to draw. Type D to specify the dimension for the rectangle. Input the length. Input the width Click anywhere inside the rectangle area to get out of the command.



Creating an Array of objects The array command in AutoCAD is used to make multiple copies of objects. Although you can use the copy command to duplicate objects, the array command is more flexible and precise. One advantage of using the array command is that it allows you to copy objects in a defined angle and exact number of copies. Therefore, you can create array in various pattern. For example, you can show multiple objects in a row, column, or irregular pattern such as a spiral. Let’s look at a few examples below:

To create an array of objects follow the steps below. Rectangular array 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Type Array in the command line or select from the modify toolbar. Select the object you would like to array. Input the number of rows. (negative number for downward array) Input the number of columns. (negative number will point array to the left) Pick or input the distance for the Row offset. Pick or input the distance for the Column offset. Enter the Angle for the array. (Use the default 0 degree). Select the Preview button to see the sample array before you hit the Ok button. You can accept the array or modify it. (Optional step).

See the figure below for visual step by step instructions.


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Polar array 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Type Array in the command line or select from the modify toolbar. Select the object you would like to array. Enter or select the center point of rotation for the object. Select a method of array. (3 methods to choose from see terms definitions below). Enter the number of items to array. (Methods 1 and 2). Enter the array angle. (Methods 1 and 3). Enter the angle between the objects. (Methods 2 and 3). Make sure to check “Rotate items as copied” if you would like to copy the objects as selected. 9. For Object base point use the default selected. (Optional step). 10. Select the Preview button to see the sample array before you hit the Ok button. You can accept the array or modify it. (Optional step). See the figure below for visual step by step instructions.


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Terms definitions: Rows and columns: where you enter the number of rows and columns of objects. There is a maximum number of rows and columns that can be entered. If you want to override that number you can always do that by typing (setenv “MaxArray “####”) in the command prompt. Where ### is the new maximum number you would like. Method of array: There are three (3) ways you can array objects. (1) Total number of items & Angle to fill. This method will automatically calculate the angle between the items based on the number of items and angle to fill. (2) Total number of items & Angle between items. This will automatically calculate the angle to fill the array based on the number of items. (3) Angle to fill & Angle between items. This will automatically calculate the number of items for you based on your input angle to fill and angle between the items.


Base point: is the reference point where AutoCAD will rotate the object. By default, depending on the shape, the base point is already set. For example, a circle, an ellipse, or an arc, they all have a default base point at the center, but you can manually specify a different point. If you need any further help, please contact me using the contact page or visit the discussion forum site http://www.2learncad.com/forum.


Working with rotated background Let’s assume, you have received a rectangle as an XREFed background plan that is rotated at some unknown angle (See fig 1) and you need to work on the overlay plan, for instance input text notes, draw ductwork, etc... The problem is: it’s hard to do all that at an angle and align them to the background plan. Therefore, you need the plan to show at a 0⁰angle without changing the coordinate (x,y,z) of the original background. Keep in mind that the background should not be rotated as other trades are using it as is.

Figure 1


Follow these Steps:

1. Type UCS in the command prompt 2. Select Named. 3. 3point and select 3 corners of the rectangle (see fig. 2)

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Figure 2


4. Type UCSMAN. 5. On the UCS list, rename the Unnamed (double click) to whatever you want. For example UCS90 and that would be your custom view. 6. Click OK to finish (see fig. 3).

Figure 3


7. Type PLAN. 8. Select Current or UCS to input the named view that you have just created. The view should look like your custom view and you are ready to work (see fig.4).

Figure 4


Now look what happens when you type PLAN and select WORLD in the command line (See fig.5).

Figure 5

The original background stays the same. All your texts and work follow the unknown rotation of the background.



CAD Layers – AutoCAD tutorial The Layer command is a very important tool of AutoCAD. It lets you create layers to separate your drawing objects. Layers are used to group, change the visibility and to control objects. Each layer you create has its own associated properties that are unique to that layer. A list of things you can do using layers: • • • • • • • •

Control objects by locking and unlocking layers so they are not accidentally modified. Allow layers to be plotted or not. Create as many layers as you want. Group layers by colors, line types, names, etc... Also, you can create a group filter inside the layer manager that can be saved within the drawings so other sharing users can use it later. Isolate layers and objects with the same properties in the drawing space. For example, you want to show only walls and hide all doors. Change the visibility of drawing layouts. Turn on or off, freeze or thaw layers in model space or in the viewport layouts in paper space. Globally change object properties.

Steps to create a layer: 1. Type LAYER in the command line or select from the layer toolbar. 2. By default AutoCAD will name the layer “layer1”. 3. Double click and rename it.

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4. In the right column you can assign color, line type to the layer, freeze or thaw it. 5. Select the object in the drawing to which the layer will be assigned. 6. Click on the layer icon bar and select the appropriate layer.

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Filters Filters are good if you have multiple layers and you want to see certain layers with common properties. For example, you can filter all layers that have the color blue or names including the word “HVAC”. To create a new filter: 1. Click on the very first button on the top left side above the tree navigation and renamed it.

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Within the filter dialogue you can double click below any column. For example, you want to create a filter for all layers with the color blue. 2. Double click below the color column and select the blue color.

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You can use the layer group filter to group layers that you define regardless of their properties. Group Filter To create a new group filter: 1. Click on the second button on the top left side above the tree navigation.

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2. Drag the layers you want to group from the right side to the group filter on the left. We only covered a few procedures, but there are many more advantages for using layers.



How to Pan and Zoom drawings When you work in a drawing, you can control the display and move quickly to different areas of the drawing while you track the overall effect of your changes. You can zoom to change magnification or pan to reposition the view in the drawing area. Here are several ways you can pan and zoom a drawing:

Pan a drawing You can shift the location of your view by using PAN or by using the window scroll bars. With the Realtime option, you pan dynamically by moving your pointing device. Using the PAN command does not change the location of your drawing; it only changes the view. To pan a drawing by dragging 1. From the View menu, choose Pan Realtime. 2. When the hand cursor appears, drag the view by holding down the button as you move your mouse. If you are using a wheel mouse, hold down the wheel button and move the mouse. To pan by specifying points 1. Choose Pan from the view menu, Point. 2. Specify a base point. This is the location point you want to change. 3. Specify a second point. This is the new location for the selected point.

Zoom a view in a drawing You can change the view of a drawing by zooming in and out. Zooming does not change the absolute size of objects in the drawing; it changes only the magnification of the view. When you work with large drawing plans, you will need to zoom out frequently to see an overview of your work. You can use ZOOM Previous to return quickly to the prior view. To Zoom in on a Specified Rectangular Area You can zoom in on a rectangular area of your drawing by specifying two diagonal corners of the area you want to view larger. 1. From the View menu, choose Zoom Window. 2. Specify one corner of the rectangular area you want to zoom. 3. Specify the opposite corner. Zoom in Real Time Using the REALTIME option, you can zoom dynamically by moving your mouse up or down. By right-clicking, you can display a shortcut menu with additional viewing commands. © 2009 - 2LearnCAD.com - All rights reserved

To zoom by dragging 1. Choose Zoom from the view menu Realtime. 2. Hold down the button on your mouse and drag vertically to zoom in and out. 3. Press Enter, or ESC, or Right-click to exit. Zoom to View All Objects in the Drawing The ZOOM Extents command is used to display the largest possible magnification of the drawing that includes all of the objects in the drawing. For example objects on layers that are turned off but it will not include objects on frozen layers. NB: When you use ZOOM All, it displays either your defined drawing limits or the drawing extents, whichever view is larger. Zoom to Center a Point in the Drawing You can quickly zoom to the center of a specified point or object in your drawing by using ZOOM Center. It is very useful for resizing an object and bringing it to the center of the viewport. To specify the size of the zooming area you enter either the number of vertical drawing units or a magnification relative to the current view. To zoom to the center of an object in the drawing area 1. Choose Zoom from the view menu Zoom Center. 2. Specify the center point of the object you want to zoom. 3. Enter a height in drawing units or enter a scale factor. (For example, to specify a view that is five drawing units high, enter 5. To specify relative magnification, enter a scale factor followed by X. For example, enter 5X to display a view that is five times as large as the current view. If you are working with layout viewports, you can enter XP to scale the view relative to paper space). To display the drawing extents by zooming 1. From the View menu, choose Zoom

Extents.

To display the area of the grid limits by zooming 1. From the View menu, choose Zoom All. The limits of the drawing grid fill the current viewport or the drawing area. If there are any objects outside the grid limits, they are also included.


To restore the previous view 1. From the View menu, choose Zoom Previous. NB: Zoom Previous will restore only the view magnification and position, not the previous content of an edited drawing. If you need any further help, contact me using the contact page or visit the discussion forum site http://www.2learncad.com/forum.


Creating AutoCAD text style: In AutoCAD you can define many different text styles that will set unique fonts, sizes, angles, orientations and other characteristics. To create a text style:

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In AutoCAD, go to Format. Select Text Style. When the Text style dialogue box appears: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

You can either select Standard style or create a new style. Enter the name for your new style. Select a Font Name and Style from the drop down menu. Check the Annotative box if you want annotation text. Enter the Text Height for your style. This is the size of the text that will be displayed each time you apply your style. 6. Enter a Width Factor. 7. Click Apply. You can edit the style at any time by repeating the steps above.


Method 2: Select the text style symbol

from the format menu or type Style in the command line.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

You can either select Standard style or create a new style. Enter the name for your new style. Select a Font Name and Style from the drop down menu. Check the Annotative box if you want annotation text. Enter the Text Height for your style. This is the size of the text that will be displayed each time you apply your style. 6. Enter a Width Factor. 7. Click Apply.



Creating AutoCAD Hatch Patterns: When drawing objects you can use the hatch command to fill areas. It creates block patterns that can represent materials such as earth, insulations, or grass. You can also create solid fill the same way you create hatch patterns. Although AutoCAD comes with custom standard patterns, you can also create your own hatch patterns or use the external pattern library displayed in the hatch Pattern Palette dialogue box. You can define a simple hatch pattern based on the current linetype. You define the pattern by changing the angle and spacing of the hatch lines. To use a predefined hatch pattern from AutoCAD

1. From the Draw Menu, choose Hatch or type Hatch in the command prompt. 2. At the right of the Boundary Hatch and Gradient fill dialog box, choose Pick Points or Select Objects. © 2009 - 2LearnCAD.com - All rights reserved

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Specify an internal point for the hatch area or select the object. Hit the Tab bar or press Enter to go back to the Hatch dialogue box. Select Predefined in the Type box. Select a Pattern From the Pattern box. If you select an ISO pattern, you can specify a pen width, which determines the lineweight in the pattern. 7. Choose OK. To create User-Defined Hatch Patterns

1. From the Draw Menu, choose Hatch or type Hatch in the command prompt. 2. At the right of the Boundary Hatch and Gradient fill dialog box, choose Pick Points or Select Objects. 3. Specify an internal point for the hatch area or select the object. 4. Hit the Tab bar or press Enter to go back to the Hatch dialogue box. © 2009 - 2LearnCAD.com - All rights reserved

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Select User-defined in the Type box. Specify the angle and spacing of the hatch pattern. Select Double to use intersecting lines in the pattern. Choose OK.



Creating CAD block In AutoCAD you can create blocks with any object and set of objects. It is easy to create the blocks, but one important thing to remember before creating a CAD block is how you are going to use it. Blocks are inserted into drawings at their base points. Therefore, insertion points are to be determined carefully. Each block definition has a unique block name, coordinate values for insertion points, and any associated attribute data (block attribute). When you insert a block, AutoCAD establishes a link between the block reference and the block definition you created. That is why, if you change the block definition, all references are updated automatically. To Create Blocks Within a Drawing: 1. From the Draw menu, choose Block Make. Or type BLOCK in the command line. 2. At the prompt of the Block Definition dialog box, enter a block name in the Name box. 3. Under Objects, select Convert to Block. Disregard the other options. As selecting delete will erase the original objects used to create the block definition in your drawing, so make sure the Delete option is not selected. 4. Choose Select Objects. 5. Use your mouse to select the objects to be included in the block. Then press ENTER or the Space bar to complete object selection. 6. Under Base Point, choose Pick point or Specify on-screen and use your mouse device to specify the block insertion point. You can also enter the X,Y,Z coordinate of the point manually (but not recommend). 7. In the Description box, enter a description for the block. This will be displayed in AutoCAD Design Center. (Optional). 8. Under Behavior, check Allow exploding if you want to disassemble them later. 9. Select OK to close the block definition dialogue box.


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Now your CAD block is defined in the current drawing and can be inserted at any time. To create Drawing Files for Use as Blocks (Wblock): There are two methods you can use to create a Wblock: A. Open a new file and create a block, then use SAVE or SAVE AS to complete drawing file. B. Create a new drawing file from selected objects: 1. Open an existing drawing or create a new drawing containing the objects to be converted into block. 2. In the Command prompt, enter WBLOCK. 3. In the Write Block dialog box, choose Select Objects. 4. Use your mouse to select the objects to be included in the new Wblock. Then Press ENTER or the space bar to complete object selection. 5. Under Base Point, choose pick point or Specify on-screen and use your mouse device to specify the block insertion point or specify the XYZ coordinate to be (0,0,0). 6. Under Destination, enter a file name or browse to the directory where you want to save the new block. 7. Select OK to close the Write block definition dialogue box.


Now your block is created in a separate drawing file and can be inserted at any time. NB: You can create a single block that contains multiple blocks within itself. They are called Nested Blocks. For example, block A has two block components: block 1, 2. All you have to do is select multiple blocks when you are selecting the objects.

The only restriction on nested blocks is that a block cannot coexist within itself. For example, block A cannot contain block A again. If you need any further help, contact me using the contact page or visit the discussion forum site http://www.2learncad.com/forum. © 2009 - 2LearnCAD.com - All rights reserved

AutoCad Basic Commands

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