Creating and Modifying Dimension

DIMENSION is used to determine the measurement of your design. Here ill show you how to change dimensions as per your scale.

Draw toolbar

Draw menu: Dimension
Command entry keyboard: D 

Example:
command: 

1. D (then press enter) [note: this is use to tweak your dimension style]

• A window will appear like below figure 1.10.

Figure 1.10

2. Click new to create new dimension. A window will pop up like below figure 1.11.

3. Change the new style name and click continue. A new window appears like below figure 1.11.

                                                                           Figure 1.11

4. On the first window tab (Lines), change the figures as written on the figure 1.12.

NOTE: You can put your own figures as per how you prefer the dimension will appear.

Figure 1.12

5. Click the next window tab (Symbols nd Arrows), change the figures as written on the figure 1.13.

Figure 1.13

6. Click the next window tab (Text), change the figures as written on the figure 1.14.   

Figure 1.14

7. Click the next window tab (Primary units), change the figures as written on the figure bellow. On Primary unit, scale factor is the important one. Ex. 1:1 (scale factor is 1); 2:1(scale factor is 0.5)

Figure 1.15

8. Click the next window tab (Tolerance), change the figures as written on the figure bellow. Change only when you need tolerance on your dimensions. If not, don't change anything.

Figure 1.16

 

9. After changing everything in dimension, the outcome must look like the figure below. You can Click the icon as shown to put dimensions on your drawing. 

Click this icon then put dimension on your drawings.

 

OUTCOME

Printing / Plotting

PLOTTING OR PRINTING is where you can print your project.

Draw toolbar:
Draw menu: Plot
Command entry keyboard: CTRL + P

Example:

1. Press Ctrl+P and a window will pop up like figure 1.9.
2. You can now change the parameters of lotting/printing.                                                           
   
    
   
   Figure 1.9
   
   
3. Printer/Plotter
• On this parameter select your printer.
4. Paper Size
• Select the paper size of your choice.
5. Plot Area
• On this parameter there are 4 choices.
• Display (dont use this)
• Limits (dont use this)
• Layout - This is ideal when your drawings are in layout page. 
• Window - when you use window, you will be asked to select the area to be printed. Just click and drag on your drawing and it will mark as printable area.
6. Plot scale
• This is where you will scale your drawing. You can use fit to paper or you can tweak on scale to put the scale you want.
7. Plot offset (origin set to printable area) 
• Just check "Center the plot"
8. Plot style table (pen assignments) 
• Normally this area will be "none" but you can also put to monochrome for black and white.
9. Plot options 
• Don't touch this area.
10. Drawing orientation 
• Just select the layout of your paper, "portrait or landscape".

          
        After you done tweaking the parameters then you can PREVIEW or click OK to print.

Using and creating a layer

LAYER is use to separate lines types in Autocad. For example your making 3D of a house, you have to separate colors of doors, windows, walls, etc. it will be easy for your to edit your work because if you want to work on doors, you can turn off the other colors in layers and only the color of the door in turned on.

Draw toolbar: 
Draw menu: Layer
Command entry keyboard: LA 

Example:
command: 

1. Type LA (then press enter)

• A window will appear like below figure 1.6.

Figure 1.6

• Creating a new Layer.
• Click on new layer icon or press ALT+N like figure 1.7.

Figure 1.7

                                        

• Modifying the Layer.
• Double click on the layer name (click once then click the 2nd time after few seconds).
• You can change the color by clicking the box under color column.
• You can change the linetype by clicking the continues under the linetype column.
• You can turn off the printing of line under the plot column.
• Press OK after you finish modifying the layer.

               See figure 1.8.

 Figure 1.8.

Move, Pan and Copy/Paste

MOVE is use to change the location of your drawing in the interface.

Draw toolbar

Draw menu: Move
Command entry keyboard: M 

Example:
command: 

1. Type M (then press enter)
2. Select objects: 1 found (1 found means that you have click 1 object)
3. Select objects: Press enter after selecting objects.
4. Specify base point or [Displacement] <Displacement>: Click anywhere inside the drawing interface.
5. Specify second point or <use first point as displacement>: Click where you want to place your object.

                
PAN is use to move your interface together with the drawing in it.

 Draw toolbar

Draw menu: Pan
Command entry keyboard: P

Example:
command: 

1. Type P (then press enter)
2. Left click while dragging to activate panning.
3. Press ESC or ENTER to exit pan command.

Note: You can also use PAN by clicking the SCROLL on the mouse while dragging.

COPY/PASTE 

Draw toolbar

Draw menu: Copy
Command entry keyboard: CO

Example:
command: 

1. Type CO (then press enter)
2. Select objects: 1 found (1 found means that you have clcik 1 object.
3. Select objects: Press enter after selecting objects.
4. Specify base point or [Displacement] <Displacement>: Click anywhere inside the drawing interface.
5. Specify second point or <use first point as displacement>: Click where you want to place your object or you can type 0,0 on the command to put in 0 origin.
6. Specify second point or [Exit/Undo] <Exit>: Press enter to exit command

Note: Other option of copying is CTRL + C and CTRL + V to paste.

Using Fillet and Chamfer

FILLET is use to make radius on sharp edges of 2 connected lines.

Drawing toolbar

Draw menu: Fillet
Command entry keyboard: F 

Example:
command: 

1. Type F (then press enter)
2. Select first object or [Undo/Polyline/Radius/Trim/Multiple]: R (Tpye R for radius which is most use in fillet).
3. Specify fillet radius <5.000>: 5 (5 is the measurement of the radius)
4. Select first object or [Undo/Polyline/Radius/Trim/Multiple]: Click on first object as indicated on the figure 1.4. 
5. Select second object or shift-select to apply corner: Click on second object as indicated on the figure1.4.

Figure 1.4

CHAMFER is used to make angle on sharp corners of 2 connected lines.

Drawing toolbar

Draw menu: Chamfer

Command entry keyboard: CHA

Example:

command: 

1. Type CHA (then press enter)
2. Select first line or [Undo/Polyline/Distance/Angle/Trim/mEthod/Multiple]: A (A for angle)
3. Specify chamfer length on the first line <5.000>: 5 (5 is the measurement of chamfer)
4. Specify chamfer angle from the first line <45>: 45 (45 is the degree for the chamfer)
5. Select first line or [Undo/Polyline/Distance/Angle/Trim/mEthod/Multiple]: Click the first line as shown on the figure 1.5. 
6. Select second line or shift-select to apply corner: Click the second line as shown on the figure 1.5

Figure 1.5

Creating Shapes

RECTANGLE is one of the command in Autocad that simply let you create rectangle and square in an instant. 

Drawing toolbar

Draw menu: Rectangle
Command entry keyboard: REC

Example:
command: 

1. Rec (then press enter)
2. Specify first corner point or [Chamfer/Elevation/Fillet/Thickness/Width]: (click on your drawing interface)
3. Specify other corner point or [Area/Dimensions/Rotation]: @70,50 (where: 70 is the width and 50 is the height or your rectangle) (Check figure 1.2)
4. Then press enter to finish the command

Figure 1.2

POLYGON is a command for making more than 3 or more sides shape like triangle, square, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon so on and so forth.

Drawing toolbar 

Draw menu: Polygon
Command entry keyboard: Pol

Example:
command: 

1. Pol (then press enter)
2. POLYGON Enter number of sides <4>: (<4> is default) you can type 5, 6,7,8 so on and so fort.
3. Specify center of polygon or [Edge]: (click on your drawing interface).
4. Enter an option [Inscribed in circle/Circumscribed about circle] <I>: (Inscribe means your pattern is on the sharp edges of polygon while Circumscribed means your pattern is in the straight lines of polygon).
5. Specify radius of circle: 20 (20 is a sample value only) (Check figure 1.3)
6. Then press enter to finish the command

Figure 1.3

                           

Creating a Line

LINE is a basic in Autocad. You can create allot just by using LINE command. In creating a line, you have to know your basic geometry like 0,90,180, 270 and 360. This way you can easily make a line in different degrees. 

Drawing toolbar

Draw menu: Line
Command entry keyboard: L 

Example:
command: 

1. L (then press enter)
2. L line specify first point: (click on your drawing interface)
3. specify next point or [undo]: @70<45 (check figure 1.1)
• (70 = the value of the line you want to draw)
• (<  = the symbol of the angle)
• (45 = the value of angle where the line will go)
4. specify next point or [undo]: (press escape to cancel line command) 

figure 1.1