Chapter One
Exploring the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Interface
Before you can start to use AutoCAD 2008''s new capabilities, you''ll need to become familiar with the basics. If you''re completely new to AutoCAD, you''ll want to read this first chapter carefully. It introduces you to many of AutoCAD''s basic operations, such as opening and closing files, getting a close-up look at part of a drawing, and changing a drawing. If you''re familiar with earlier versions of AutoCAD, you should review this chapter anyway to get acquainted with features you haven''t already used.
Autodesk has recently changed its AutoCAD update strategy to release new versions every year. Part of this strategy is to introduce new items that focus on a particular category of features. This latest version, AutoCAD 2008, includes several new features focused on 2D drafting. AutoCAD now sports a new tool panel called a dashboard which includes the most common tools needed to produce technical drawings of all types. The ability to setup the scale of drawings has been improved and there are more learning resources at your fingertips.
You''ll get a chance to explore these new features in Part 4 as you work through this book; but for now, let''s get started with some basics.
Topics in this chapter:
* Using the AutoCAD Window
* Opening an Existing File
* Getting a Closer Look with the Zoom Command
* Saving a File as You Work
* Making Changes and Opening Multiple Files
TIP In this chapter, and throughout the rest of the book, when I say AutoCAD, I mean both AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. Some topics apply only to AutoCAD. In those situations, you''ll see an icon indicating that the topic applies only to AutoCAD and doesn''t apply to AutoCAD LT. If you''re using AutoCAD 2008 LT, these icons can help you focus on the topics that are more relevant to your work.
Taking a Guided Tour
In this section, you''ll get a chance to familiarize yourself with the AutoCAD screen and how you communicate with AutoCAD. As you do the exercises in this chapter, you''ll also get a feel for how to work with this book. Don''t worry about understanding or remembering everything you see in this chapter. You''ll get plenty of opportunities to probe the finer details of the program as you work through the later chapters. To help you remember the material, you''ll find a brief exercise at the end of each chapter. For now, just enjoy your first excursion into AutoCAD.
NOTE AutoCAD 2008 is designed to run on Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista. This book was written using AutoCAD 2008 on Windows XP Professional with a Windows Classic desktop theme.
If you already installed AutoCAD and are ready to jump in and take a look, proceed with the following steps to launch the program:
1. Choose Start -> All Programs -> Autodesk -> AutoCAD 2008 -> AutoCAD 2008. You can also double-click the AutoCAD 2008 icon on your Windows Desktop. LT users will use AutoCAD LT 2008 in place of AutoCAD 2008.
2. The opening greeting, called a splash screen, tells you which version of AutoCAD you''re using, to whom the program is registered, and the AutoCAD dealer''s name and phone number, should you need help. If this is the first time you''ve started AutoCAD after installing it, you''ll also see a dialog box asking you to register the product.
3. After the splash screen closes, you see the Workspace screen. (You won''t see this in LT.) This screen allows you to select between the 2D drawing workspace called 2D Drafting & Annotation and the 3D workspace called 3D Modeling. A third option called AutoCAD Classic offers the 2D drawing workspace from earlier versions of AutoCAD. Workspaces are saved arrangements of the AutoCAD window. You''ll explore the 3D Modeling workspace in Part 4.
4. You may also see the New Features Workshop screen, which offers a set of tutorials showing you the new features of AutoCAD 2008. Click the No, Don''t Show Me This Again or Maybe Later radio button, and click OK. You can always get to the New Features Workshop screen from the AutoCAD help menu by choosing Help -> New Features Workshop.
5. The AutoCAD window displays a blank default document named Drawing1.dwg, as shown in Figure 1.1. AutoCAD users may see the Sheet Set Manager palette to the left of the AutoCAD window, which doesn''t appear in Figure 1.1, to show more of the drawing area. LT users may see the Info palette to the left of the AutoCAD window.
If this is the first time you''ve started AutoCAD since you installed it, you''re asked to register and authorize AutoCAD in step 2. If you''re using the Trial version, you can use the default serial number 000-00000000 for the one-month trial. After you''ve entered the registration information, you see the New Features Workshop window described in step 4.
Let''s look at the AutoCAD window in detail. Don''t worry if it seems like a lot of information. You don''t have to memorize it, but by looking at all the parts, you''ll be aware of what is available in a general way.
The AutoCAD Window
The AutoCAD program window is divided into six parts:
* Menu bar
* Toolbars
* Drawing area
* Command window
* Status bar
* Dashboard
Figure 1.1, shown earlier in this chapter, shows a typical layout of the AutoCAD program window. Along the top is the menu bar, and just below that are the Workspaces and Standard Annotation toolbars. At the bottom are the Command window and the status bar. To the right is the Dashboard. The drawing area occupies the rest of the screen. AutoCAD calls the window layout a workspace; you can save and recall a workspace at any time using the Workspaces toolbar. The workspace in Figure 1.1 is called the 2D Drafting & Annotation workspace.
TIP Your screen may show the drawing area in black. You can set the drawing area background color by using the Options dialog box. Appendix A describes how to do this. The figures in this book show the drawing area background in white for clarity.
Figure 1.2 shows AutoCAD''s 3D Modeling workspace, which has a different set of screen elements. Figure 1.2 also shows a standard AutoCAD drawing file with a few setting changes to give it a 3D appearance. Beneath these external changes, the underlying program is the same.
TIP You''ll learn more about workspaces later in this chapter and in Chapter 26.
The menu bar at the top of the drawing area (as shown in Figure 1.3) includes drop-down menus from which you select commands in a typical Windows fashion. The toolbars and Dashboard provide a variety of commands through tool buttons and drop-down lists.
The drawing area occupies most of the screen. Everything you draw appears in this area. As you move your mouse around, crosshairs appear to move within the drawing area. This is the drawing cursor that lets you point to locations in the drawing area.
At the bottom of the drawing area is a set of tabs. These tabs give you access to the Layout views of your drawing. These views let you lay out your drawing as in a desktop publishing program. You''ll learn about the Layout tabs in Chapter 8. The arrows to the left of the tabs let you navigate the tabs when there are more tabs than can fit in the AutoCAD window.
The Command window, located just below the Layout tabs, gives you feedback about AutoCAD''s commands as you use them. You can move and resize this window just as you move and resize toolbars. By default, the Command window is in its docked position, as shown in Figure 1.4.
Below the Command window is the status bar (see Figure 1.4). The status bar gives you information at a glance about the state of the drawing. For example, the coordinate readout toward the far left of the status bar tells you the location of your cursor.
Picking Points in the Drawing Area
Now that you''ve seen the general layout of AutoCAD, try using the coordinate readout and the drawing cursor to get a sense of how the parts of the AutoCAD screen work together:
1. Move the cursor around in the drawing area. As you move it, notice how the coordinate readout changes to tell you the cursor''s location. It shows the coordinates in an X, Y, Z format.
2. Place the cursor in the middle of the drawing area, and click the left mouse button. Move the cursor, and a rectangle follows. This is a window selection; you''ll learn more about this window in Chapter 2. You also see a coordinate readout following the cursor and a message asking you to Specify opposite corner:. This display at the cursor is called the dynamic input. You''ll learn more about it a little later in this chapter.
TIP If you don''t see the dynamic input display, click the button labeled DYN in the status bar to turn it on.
3. Move the cursor a bit in any direction; then, click the left mouse button again. Notice that the window selection disappears, as does the dynamic input display.
4. Try picking several more points in the drawing area. Notice that as you click the mouse, you alternately start and end a window selection.
If you happen to click the right mouse button, a shortcut menu appears. A right-click frequently opens a menu containing options that are context sensitive. This means the contents of the shortcut menu depend on the location where you right-click as well as the command that is active at the time of your right-click. If there are no appropriate options at the time of the right-click, AutoCAD treats the right-click as an [??]. You''ll learn more about these options as you progress through the book. For now, if you happen to open this menu by accident, press the Esc key to close it.
The UCS Icon
In the lower-left corner of the drawing area, you see an L-shaped arrow. This is the User Coordinate System (UCS) icon, which tells you your orientation in the drawing. This icon becomes helpful as you start to work with complex 2D drawings and 3D models. The X and Y arrows indicate the X and Y axes of your drawing. The little square at the base of the arrows tells you that you''re in what is called the World Coordinate System. Chapter 21 discusses this icon in detail. For now, you can use it as a reference to tell you the direction of the axes.
The Command Window
At the bottom of the screen, just above the status bar, is a small horizontal window called the Command window. Here, AutoCAD displays responses to your input. By default, it shows two lines of text. The bottom line shows the current messages, and the top line shows messages that have scrolled by or, in some cases, components of the current message that don''t fit in a single line. Right now, the bottom line displays the message Command (see Figure 1.4, earlier in this chapter). This prompt tells you that AutoCAD is waiting for your instructions. When you click a point in the drawing area, you see the message Specify opposite corner:. At the same time, the cursor starts to draw a window selection that disappears when you click another point. The same message appears in the dynamic input display at the cursor.
As a new user, pay special attention to messages displayed in the Command window and the dynamic input display because this is how AutoCAD communicates with you. Besides giving you messages, the Command window records your activity in AutoCAD. You can use the scroll bar to the right of the Command window to review previous messages. You can also enlarge the window for a better view. (Chapter 2 discusses these components in more detail.)
Now, let''s look at AutoCAD''s window components in detail.
TIP The Command window and the dynamic input display allow AutoCAD to provide text feedback to your actions. You can think of these features as a chat window to AutoCAD-as you enter commands, AutoCAD responds with messages. As you become more familiar with AutoCAD, you may find you don''t need to rely on the Command window and dynamic input display as much. For new and casual users, however, the Command window and dynamic input display can be helpful in understanding what steps to take as you work.
The Drop-Down Menus
As in most Windows programs, the drop-down menus on the menu bar provide an easy-to-understand way to access AutoCAD''s general controls and settings. In these menus, you''ll find the commands and functions that are the heart of AutoCAD. By clicking menu items, you can cut and paste items to and from AutoCAD, change the settings that make AutoCAD work the way you want it to, set up the measurement system you want to use, access the help system, and much more.
The drop-down menu options perform three basic functions:
* Display a dialog box that contains settings you can change.
* Issue a command to create or modify your drawing.
* Offer an expanded set of the same tools found in the Draw and Modify toolbars.
As you point to commands and options in the menus, AutoCAD provides additional help for you in the form of brief descriptions of each menu option, which appear in the status bar.
Here''s an exercise to let you practice with the drop-down menus and get acquainted with the way you issue AutoCAD commands:
1. Click View in the menu bar. The list of items that appears includes the commands and settings that let you control the way AutoCAD displays your drawings. Don''t worry if you don''t understand them yet; you''ll get to know them in later chapters.
WARNING LT users won''t see the Render option in the View menu.
2. Move the highlight cursor slowly down the list of menu items. As you highlight each item, notice that a description of it appears in the status bar at the bottom of the AutoCAD window. These descriptions help you choose the menu option you need.
TIP If you look carefully at the command descriptions in the status bar, you''ll see an odd word at the end. This is the keyboard command equivalent to the highlighted option in the menu or toolbar. You can type these keyboard commands to start the tool or menu item that you''re pointing to. You don''t have to memorize these command names, but knowing them will be helpful to you later if you want to customize AutoCAD.
3. Some of the menu items have triangular pointers to their right. This means the command has additional choices. For instance, highlight the Zoom item, and another set of options appears to the right. This second set of options is called a cascading menu. Whenever you see a dropdown menu item with the triangular pointer, you know that this item opens a cascading menu offering a more detailed set of options.
4. Other drop-down menu options are followed by an ellipsis (...). This indicates that the option displays a dialog box. For instance, move the highlight cursor to the Tools option in the menu bar.
TIP If you prefer, you can click and drag the highlight cursor over the drop-down menu to select an option.
5. Click the Draw option from the menu bar, and then click the Rectangle command. Notice that the Command window now shows the following prompt:
Specify first corner point or [Chamfer/Elevation/Fillet/Thickness/Width]:
AutoCAD is asking you to select the first corner for the rectangle, and, in brackets, it''s offering a few options that you can take advantage of at this point in the command. Don''t worry about those options right now. You''ll have an opportunity to learn about command options in Chapter 2. You also see the same prompt, minus the bracketed options, in the dynamic input display at the cursor.
6. Click a point roughly in the lower-left corner of the drawing area, as shown in Figure 1.5. Now, as you move your mouse, a rectangle follows the cursor, with one corner fixed at the position you just selected. You also see the following prompt in the Command window, with a similar prompt in the dynamic input display:
Specify other corner point or [Area/Dimensions/Rotation]:
7. Click another point anywhere in the upper-right region of the drawing area. A rectangle appears (see Figure 1.6). You''ll learn more about the different cursor shapes and what they mean in Chapter 2.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Mastering AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD LT 2008by George Omura Copyright © 2007 by George Omura. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
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