Chapter One
Exploring the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Interface
Before you can start to use AutoCAD 2009''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 the features you haven''t already used.
Autodesk releases new versions of AutoCAD every year. Part of this strategy is to introduce improvements that focus on a particular category of features. This latest version, AutoCAD 2009, includes several new features focused on the user interface. AutoCAD now sports a new tool panel called the Ribbon, which includes the most common tools needed to produce technical drawings of all types. There is more information available on every tool, making this version of AutoCAD one of the easiest to learn. All you have to do is hover your cursor over a tool or menu option to find out what it''s for and how to use it.
You''ll get a chance to explore these new features as you work through this book. Before you begin the exercise later in this chapter, make sure that you have downloaded the sample files for this book. See the Introduction for details.
Let''s get started with some basics. This chapter includes the following topics: * 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
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 set of questions at the end of each chapter. For now, just enjoy your first excursion into AutoCAD.
Note
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 not to AutoCAD LT. If you''re using AutoCAD 2009 LT, these icons can help you focus on the topics that are more relevant to your work.
Note
AutoCAD 2009 is designed to run on Windows XP and Windows Vista. This book was written using AutoCAD 2009 running on Windows XP Professional.
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 2009 -> AutoCAD 2009. You can also double-click the AutoCAD 2009 icon on your Windows Desktop. LT users will use AutoCAD LT 2009 in place of AutoCAD 2009. 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. You may also see the New Features Workshop screen, which offers a set of tutorials showing you the new features of AutoCAD 2009. 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 in the Menu Browser. 4. The AutoCAD window displays a blank default document named Drawing1.dwg, as shown in Figure 1.1. Although it doesn''t appear in Figure 1.1, to show more of the drawing area, AutoCAD users may see the Sheet Set Manager palette to the left of the AutoCAD window. 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 3.
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 Browser * Quick Access toolbar * Ribbon * Drawing area * Command window * Status bar
Figure 1.1, shown earlier in this chapter, shows a typical layout of the AutoCAD program window. Along the top is the Quick Access toolbar, and just below that is the Ribbon. At the bottom are the Command window and the status bar. The drawing area occupies the rest of the screen. You can organize the AutoCAD window into any arrangement you want and save it as a workspace. You can save and recall a workspace at any time using the Workspace Switching tool in the status bar (you''ll learn more about this tool in the next chapter). The default workspace in Figure 1.1 is called the 2D Drafting & Annotation workspace, which is one of two workspaces that come built into AutoCAD.
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.
Note
You''ll learn more about workspaces later in this chapter and in Chapter 26.
The Quick Access toolbar at the top of the drawing area (as shown in Figure 1.3) includes the basic file handling functions that you find in nearly all Windows programs. The Ribbon provides nearly all the commands you''ll need using icon tools. In the upper-left corner, the red AutoCAD icon features the Menu Browser, which is like a navigation panel offering many of the same commands as the Ribbon panel.
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.
The Command window, located just below the drawing area, gives you feedback about AutoCAD''s commands as you use them. You can move and resize this window just as you move and resize other display components. 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 at the far left of the status bar tells you the location of your cursor. The tools in the status bar offer aids to the drafting process.
Picking Points in the Drawing area
Now that you''ve seen the general layout of AutoCAD, take a look at 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.
Note
If you don''t see the Dynamic Input display, click the Dynamic Input tool 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. 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 (WCS). 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 within 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.
Note
The Command window and the Dynamic Input display allow AutoCAD to provide text feedback on 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 Menu Browser
The Menu Browser is a bit like the Folders view in the Explore bar of Windows Explorer. It displays the different categories of commands in a vertical column. Click on a category and the list expands to show more options. Try it out to see how it works firsthand.
1. Click the Menu Browser icon and then point to the View option. The list of items that appears includes the commands and settings that let you control the way AutoCAD displays your drawings (see Figure 1.5). Don''t worry if you don''t understand them yet; you''ll get to know them in later chapters.
Note
LT users won''t see the Render option in the View menu.
2. Move the highlight cursor slowly down the list of view options in the right-hand column. As you highlight some of the options, notice that a tool tip appears just below. These tool tips help you choose the menu option you need. Other items that show an arrowhead to the left will expand to show more options when you click on them (see Figure 1.5).
Note
If you look carefully at the command descriptions in the tool tip, about halfway down you''ll see an odd word with an icon to the left. This is the keyboard command equivalent to the highlighted option in the menu. 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 arrowheads to their left. This means the option has additional choices. For instance, click on the Zoom option and another set of options appears below it. This new set of options is called a cascading menu. Whenever you see a menu item with the triangular pointer, you know that this item opens a cascading menu offering a more detailed set of options. 4. Other menu options are followed by an ellipsis (...). This indicates that the option displays a dialog box. For instance, move the highlight cursor to the Named View option in the Menu Browser''s View option. The View Manager dialog box appears. 5. Click Cancel to exit the dialog box.
In addition to offering most of the AutoCAD commands, the Menu Browser gives you a convenient way to find recently used commands and files. If you look at the bottom of the Menu Browser, you''ll see three items: Recent Documents, Open Documents, and Recent Actions, as shown in Figure 1.6. If you point to or click on an option, the panel to the right changes to show you a list pertaining to it. For example, if you point to Recent Documents, the panel to the right displays a list of files on which you have recently worked.
You can use the View tool in the upper-right portion of the Menu Browser to select the way the list of files are displayed in a manner similar to the way you would use the Windows Explorer Views option. You can click on this icon and select Medium Images to have the list display the files with thumbnail images of their content. Hover over a file name and you will see a tool tip that displays a larger thumbnail of the drawing.
The Open Documents option lets you quickly change from one open file to another when you are viewing your files full screen. Finally, the Recent Actions option lists recent activity in the Menu Browser. You can repeat an action you''ve performed through the Menu Browser by selecting from this list. This is a handy tool if you are performing repetitive tasks, though you have to remember to start the task from the Menu Browser before they will become available under the Recent Actions option.
The Ribbon
The most prominent feature in the AutoCAD window, besides the drawing area, is the Ribbon (see Figure 1.7). This is where you''ll be selecting tools to draw, edit, or perform other functions. The Ribbon contains a set of panels representing groups of tools and features. The name of each Ribbon panel is found in its title bar at the bottom of the panel. Ribbon panels are further organized by the tabs that appear above them. All of the tools in the Ribbon offer tool tips that provide a short description to help you understand what each tool icon represents.
Note
If you see only the Ribbon tabs, rightclick on one of the tabs and choose Minimize -> Show Full Ribbon. If you don''t even see the tabs, press the Esc key twice and type Ribbon.
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Excerpted from Mastering AutoCAD 2009 and AutoCAD LT 2009by George Omura Copyright © 2008 by George Omura. Excerpted by permission.
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