Mastering AutoCAD 2019 and AutoCAD LT 2019

ContentsIntroduction xxixPart 1 The Basics 1Chapter 1 Exploring the Interface 3Taking a Guided Tour 3Launching AutoCAD 4The AutoCAD Window 5Using the Application Menu 7Using the Ribbon 8Picking Points in the Drawing Area 14Using the UCS Icon 14Working in the Command Window 15Working with AutoCAD 15Opening an Existing File 16Getting a Closer Look 17Saving a File as You Work 21Making Changes 21Working with Multiple Files 22Adding a Predrawn Symbol with the Tool Palettes 25The Bottom Line 28Chapter 2 Creating Your First Drawing 29Getting to Know the Home Tab's Draw and Modify Panels 29Starting Your First Drawing 32Specifying Exact Distances with Coordinates 36Specifying Polar Coordinates 38Specifying Relative Cartesian Coordinates 39Interpreting the Cursor Modes and Understanding Prompts 41Understanding Cursor Modes 41Choosing Command Options 43Selecting Objects 48Selecting Objects in AutoCAD 48Providing Base Points 51Using Noun/Verb Selection 54Editing with Grips 60Stretching Lines by Using Grips 60Moving and Rotating with Grips 63Understanding Dynamic Input 65Displaying Data in a Text Window 70Displaying the Properties of an Object 71Getting Help 74Using the Info Center 74Finding Additional Sources of Help 74The Bottom Line 75Chapter 3 Setting Up and Using the Drafting Tools 77Setting Up a Work Area 77Specifying Units 78Fine-Tuning the Measurement System 80Setting up the Drawing Limits 81Looking at an Alternative to Limits 83Understanding Scale Factors 83Using Polar Tracking 85Setting the Polar Tracking Angle 86Exploring the Drawing Process 88Locating an Object in Reference to Others 88Getting a Closer Look 89Modifying an Object 89Planning and Laying Out a Drawing 94Making a Preliminary Sketch 95Using the Layout 96Erasing the Layout Lines 102Putting on the Finishing Touches 105Aligning Objects by Using Object Snap Tracking 106Using the AutoCAD Modes as Drafting Tools 110Using Grid Mode as a Background Grid 111Using Snap Modes 113The Bottom Line 114Chapter 4 Organizing Objects with Blocks and Groups 115Creating and Using a Symbol 115Understanding the Block Definition Dialog Box 118Inserting a Symbol 120Scaling and Rotating Blocks 122Using an Existing Drawing as a Symbol 124Modifying a Block 127Unblocking and Redefining a Block 127Saving a Block as a Drawing File 129Replacing Existing Files with Blocks 130Understanding the Write Block Dialog Box Options 131Other Uses for Blocks 131Understanding the Annotation Scale 132Grouping Objects 135Modifying Members of a Group 137Ungrouping, Adding, and Subtracting from a Group 140Working with the Object Grouping Dialog Box 141Working with the AutoCAD LT Group Manager 143The Bottom Line 144Chapter 5 Keeping Track of Layers and Blocks 147Organizing Information with Layers 147Creating and Assigning Layers 148Working on Layers 155Controlling Layer Visibility 158Finding the Layers You Want 160Taming an Unwieldy List of Layers 161Assigning Line types to Layers 169Adding a Line type to a Drawing 170Controlling Line weights 174Keeping Track of Blocks and Layers 174Getting a Text File List of Layers or Blocks 175The Bottom Line 177Part 2 Mastering Intermediate Skills 179Chapter 6 Editing and Reusing Data to Work Efficiently 181Creating and Using Templates 182Creating a Template 182Using a Template 183Copying an Object Multiple Times 184Making Circular Copies 184Making Row and Column Copies 186Fine-Tuning Your View 188Finishing the Kitchenette 190Array Along a Path 191Making Changes to an Associative Array 192Developing Your Drawing 196Importing Settings 196Using Osnap Tracking to Place Objects 199Finding an Exact Distance Along a Curve 216Changing the Length of Objects 218Creating a New Drawing by Using Parts from Another Drawing 219Eliminating Unused Blocks, Layers, Line types, Shapes, Styles, and More 220The Bottom Line 222Chapter 7 Mastering Viewing Tools, Hatches,and External References 223Assembling the Parts 223Taking Control of the AutoCAD Display 227Understanding Regeneration and Redrawing 227Saving Views 228Understanding the Frozen Layer Option 231Using Hatch Patterns in Your Drawings 233Placing a Hatch Pattern in a Specific Area 233Adding Predefined Hatch Patterns 235Positioning Hatch Patterns Accurately 237Updating a Block from an External File 238Changing the Hatch Area 240Modifying a Hatch Pattern 241Understanding the Boundary Hatch Options 243Controlling Boundaries with the Boundaries Panel 243Fine-Tuning the Boundary Behavior 244Controlling Hatch Behavior with the Options Panel 244Controlling Hatch Default Layer, Layout Scale, and ISO Line Weight 246Using Additional Hatch Features 246Using Gradient Shading 247Tips for Using Hatch 249Space Planning and Hatch Patterns 249Using External References 253Attaching a Drawing as an External Reference 253Other Differences Between External References and Blocks 257Other External Reference Options 258Clipping Xref Views and Improving Performance 260Editing Xrefs in Place 263Using the External Reference Tab 265Adding and Removing Objects from Blocks and Xrefs 266Understanding the Reference Edit Dialog Box Options 268The Bottom Line 269Chapter 8 Introducing Printing, Plotting, and Layouts 271Plotting the Plan 271Understanding the Plotter Settings 275Paper Size 275Drawing Orientation 276Plot Area 276Plot Scale 277Shaded Viewport Options 280Plot Offset 282Plot Options 282Exit Options 283Plotting Using Layout Views 284Setting Plot Scale in the Layout Viewports 286Adding an Output Device 288Editing a Plotter Configuration 290Storing a Page Setup 292Using Electronic Plots 296Exporting to PDF Through the Plot Dialog Box 297Exporting to PDF Through the Export To DWF/PDF Ribbon Panel 298Exporting Autodesk DWF and DWFx Files 298The Bottom Line 300Chapter 9 Adding Text to Drawings 301Preparing a Drawing for Text 301Organizing Text by Styles 302Getting Familiar with the Text and Annotation Scale Control Panels 304Setting the Annotation Scale and Adding Text 305Inserting Text 305Exploring Text and Scale 307Understanding the Text Style Dialog Box Options 309Styles 309Set Current/New/Delete 309Font 310Size 310Effects 310Exploring Text Formatting in AutoCAD 311Adjusting the Text Height and Font 311Understanding the Text Editor Tab 313Adding Symbols and Special Characters 315Setting Indents and Tabs 318What Do the Fonts Look Like? 321Adding Simple Single-Line Text Objects 323Justifying Single-Line Text Objects 325Using Special Characters with Single-Line Text Objects 327Using the Check Spelling Feature 329How Check Spelling Works 329Choosing a Dictionary 330Substituting Fonts 331Finding and Replacing Text 332The Bottom Line 337Chapter 10 Using Fields and Tables 339Using Fields to Associate Text with Drawing Properties 339Adding Tables to Your Drawing 343Creating a Table 343Adding Cell Text 345Adjusting Table Text Orientation and Location 346Editing the Table Line Work 349Adding Formulas to Cells 352Using Formulas Directly in Cells 352Using Other Math Operations 353Importing and Exporting Tables 354Importing a Table 354Exporting Tables 356Creating Table Styles 356Adding or Modifying a Table Style 356The Table Style Options 358The Bottom Line 359Chapter 11 Using Dimensions 361Understanding the Components of a Dimension 361Creating a Dimension Style 362Setting Up the Primary Unit Style 364Setting the Height for Dimension Text 366Setting the Location and Orientation of Dimension Text 367Choosing an Arrow Style and Setting the Dimension Scale 368Setting Up Alternate Units 372Setting the Current Dimension Style 373Modifying a Dimension Style 374Drawing Linear Dimensions 374Understanding the Dimensions Panel 374Placing Horizontal and Vertical Dimensions 375Continuing a Dimension 376Drawing Dimensions from a Common Base Extension Line 378Adjusting the Distance Between Dimensions 380Editing Dimensions 381Appending Data to Dimension Text 381Using Grips to Make Minor Adjustments to Dimensions 383Changing Style Settings of Individual Dimensions 385Editing Dimensions and Other Objects Together 386Associating Dimensions with Objects 389Adding a String of Dimensions with a Single Operation 390Adding or Removing the Alternate Dimensions 390Dimensioning Nonorthogonal Objects 392Dimensioning Nonorthogonal Linear Distances 392Dimensioning Radii, Diameters, and Arcs 393Skewing Dimension Lines 398Using the Dimension Tool 398Adding a Note with a Leader Arrow 402Creating Multileader Styles 404Editing Multileader Notes 406Breaking a Dimension Line for a Leader 406Applying Ordinate Dimensions 407Adding Tolerance Notation 408Inserting Tolerance and Datum Values 408Adding Inspection Dimensions 409The Bottom Line 411Part 3 Mastering Advanced Skills 413Chapter 12 Using Attributes 415Creating Attributes 416Adding Attributes to Blocks 416Copying and Editing Attribute Definitions 419Turning the Attribute Definitions into a Block 421Inserting Blocks Containing Attributes 422Editing Attributes 426Editing Attribute Values One at a Time 426Editing Attribute Text Formats and Properties 427Making Global Changes to Attribute Values 428Making Invisible Attributes Visible 430Making Global Format and Property Changes to Attributes 431Other Block Attribute Manager Options 432Redefining Blocks Containing Attributes 433Extracting and Exporting Attribute Information 434Performing the Extraction 434Extracting Attribute Data to an AutoCAD Table 439The Bottom Line 441Chapter 13 Copying Existing Drawings from Other Sources 443Methods for Converting Paper Drawings to AutoCAD Files 443Importing a Raster Image 444Working with a Raster Image 446Scaling a Raster Image 448Controlling Object Visibility and Overlap with Raster Images 448Adjusting Brightness, Contrast, and Fade 450Clipping a Raster Image 452Turning Off the Frame, Adjusting Overall Quality,and Controlling Transparency 454Working with PDF Files 456Importing a PDF 456Scaling and Osnaps with PDFs 458Controlling the PDF Display 459Importing a PDF as an AutoCAD Drawing 461Reconstructing Imported AutoCAD SHX Fonts 463Coordinating Geographic Locations 464Making Adjustments to the Map 467Finding Measurements and Distances 469The Bottom Line 470Chapter 14 Advanced Editing and Organizing 471Using External References 471Preparing Existing Drawings for External Referencing 472Assembling Xrefs to Build a Drawing 474Updating Blocks in Xrefs 478Importing Named Elements from Xrefs 479Controlling the Xref Search Path 483Managing Layers 484Saving and Recalling Layer Settings 484Other Tools for Managing Layers 487Using Advanced Tools: Filter and Quick Select 490Filtering Selections 490Using Quick Select 494Using the QuickCalc Calculator 497Adding Foot and Inch Lengths and Finding the Sum of Angles 498Converting Units with QuickCalc 501Using QuickCalc to Find Points 502Finding Fractional Distances Between Two Points 505Using QuickCalc While in the Middle of a Command 507Storing Expressions and Values 509Guidelines for Working with QuickCalc 511The Bottom Line 513Chapter 15 Laying Out Your Printer Output 515Understanding Model Space and Paper Space 515Switching from Model Space to Paper Space 516Setting the Size of a Paper Space Layout 518Creating New Paper Space Viewports 519Creating a Viewport from a Saved View 521Reaching Inside Viewports 522Working with Paper Space Viewports 523Scaling Views in Paper Space 525Setting Layers in Individual Viewports 527Creating and Using Multiple Paper Space Layouts 531Creating Odd-Shaped Viewports 532Understanding Lineweights, Linetypes, and Dimensions in Paper Space 535Controlling and Viewing Lineweights in Paper Space 535The Lineweight Settings Dialog Box 537Linetype Scales and Paper Space 538Dimensioning in Paper Space Layouts 538Other Uses for Paper Space 541The Bottom Line 542Chapter 16 Making "Smart" Drawings with Parametric Tools 543Why Use Parametric Drawing Tools? 543Connecting Objects with Geometric Constraints 545Using AutoConstrain to Add Constraints Automatically 545Editing a Drawing Containing Constraints 546Using Other Geometric Constraints 549Using Constraints in the Drawing Process 550Controlling Sizes with Dimensional Constraints 551Adding a Dimensional Constraint 551Editing a Dimensional Constraint 553Using Formulas to Control and Link Dimensions 555Adding a Formula Parameter 556Testing the Formula 557Using Other Formulas 558Editing the Constraint Options 559Putting Constraints to Use 560The Bottom Line 562Chapter 17 Using Dynamic Blocks 565Exploring the Block Editor 565Opening the Block Editor 566Editing a Block and Creating New Blocks 567Creating a Dynamic Block 568Adding a Parameter 569Adding an Action 570Adding an Increment Value 572Editing Parameters and Actions 574Keeping an Object Centered 574Using Constraints in Dynamic Blocks 575Adding a List of Predefined Options 580Creating Multiple Shapes in One Block 584Rotating Objects in Unison 589Filling in a Space Automatically with Objects 592Including Block Information with Data Extraction 594The Bottom Line 596Chapter 18 Drawing Curves 599Introducing Polylines 599Drawing a Polyline 599Setting Polyline Options 601Editing Polylines 602Setting Pedit Options 606Smoothing Polylines 606Editing Vertices 608Creating a Polyline Spline Curve 616Using True Spline Curves 619Drawing a True Spline 619Understanding the Spline Options 621Fine-Tuning Spline Curves 622Marking Divisions on Curves 625Dividing Objects into Segments of Equal Length 625Dividing Objects into Specified Lengths 627The Bottom Line 628Chapter 19 Getting and Exchanging Data from Drawings 631Finding the Area of Closed Boundaries 631Finding the Area of an Object 632Using Hatch Patterns to Find Areas 633Adding and Subtracting Areas with the Area Command 635Getting General Information 638Determining the Drawing's Status 639Keeping Track of Time 640Getting Information from System Variables 641Keeping a Log of Your Activity 642Capturing and Saving Text Data from the AutoCAD Text Window 643Understanding the Command Window Context Menu 643Storing Searchable Information in AutoCAD Files 644Searching for AutoCAD Files 646Recovering Corrupted Files 646Using the DXF File Format to Exchange CAD Data with Other Programs 647Exporting DXF Files 647Opening or Importing DXF Files 649Using AutoCAD Drawings in Page Layout Programs 650Exporting Raster Files 650Exporting Vector Files 654Using OLE to Import Data 656Editing OLE Links 658Importing Worksheets as AutoCAD Tables 659Understanding Options for Embedding Data 661Using the Clipboard to Export AutoCAD Drawings 662The Bottom Line 662Part 4 3D Modeling and Imaging 665Chapter 20 Creating 3D Drawings 667Getting to Know the 3D Modeling Workspace 667Drawing in 3D Using Solids 669Adjusting Appearances 670Creating a 3D Box 671Editing 3D Solids with Grips 672Constraining Motion with the Gizmo 673Rotating Objects in 3D Using Dynamic UCS 674Drawing on a 3D Object's Surface 676Pushing and Pulling Shapes from a Solid 678Making Changes to Your Solid 680Creating 3D Forms from 2D Shapes 683Isolating Coordinates with Point Filters 687Moving Around Your Model 690Finding Isometric and Orthogonal Views 690Rotating Freely Around Your Model 691Changing Your View Direction 692Using SteeringWheels 694Changing Where You Are Looking 696Flying Through Your View 697Changing from Perspective to Parallel Projection 698Getting a Visual Effect 698Using Visual Styles 699Creating a Sketched Look with Visual Styles 699In-Canvas Viewport Controls 702Turning a 3D View into a 2D AutoCAD Drawing 702Using the Point Cloud Feature 705The Bottom Line 706Chapter 21 Using Advanced 3D Features 709Setting Up AutoCAD for This Chapter 709Mastering the User Coordinate System 710Defining a UCS 711Saving a UCS 713Working in a UCS 714Building 3D Parts in Separate Files 715Understanding the UCS Options 718UCS Based on Object Orientation 718UCS Based on Offset Orientation 721UCS Rotated Around an Axis 721Orienting a UCS in the View Plane 723Manipulating the UCS Icon 723Saving a UCS with a View 725Using Viewports to Aid in 3D Drawing 725Using the Array Tools 729Making Changes to an Associative Array 730Creating Complex 3D Surfaces 731Laying Out a 3D Form 731Spherical and Cylindrical Coordinate Formats 732Using a 3D Polyline 734Creating a Curved 3D Surface 734Converting the Surface into a Solid 739Shaping the Solid 740Finding the Interference Between Two Solids 741Creating Tubes with the Sweep Tool 744Using Sweep to Create Complex Forms 746Creating Spiral Forms 749Creating Surface Models 751Slicing a Solid with a Surface 753Finding the Volume of a Cut 754Understanding the Loft Command 756Moving Objects in 3D Space 760Aligning Objects in 3D Space 760Moving an Object in 3D 761Rotating an Object in 3D 763The Bottom Line 764Chapter 22 Editing and Visualizing 3D Solids 765Understanding Solid Modeling 765Creating Solid Forms 768Joining Primitives 768Cutting Portions Out of a Solid 769Creating Complex Solids 772Tapering an Extrusion 772Sweeping a Shape on a Curved Path 773Revolving a Polyline 775Editing Solids 777Splitting a Solid into Two Pieces 777Rounding Corners with the Fillet Tool 779Chamfering Corners with the Chamfer Tool 780Using the Solid-Editing Tools 781Streamlining the 2D Drawing Process 790Drawing Standard Top, Front, and Right-Side Views 791Creating 2D Drawings with the Base View Command 794Adding Dimensions and Notes in a Layout 798Using Visual Styles with a Viewport 799Visualizing Solids 800The Bottom Line 811Chapter 23 Exploring 3D Mesh and Surface Modeling 813Creating a Simple 3D Mesh 813Creating a Mesh Primitive 814Understanding the Parts of a Mesh 815Smoothing a Mesh 815Editing Faces and Edges 817Stretching Faces 819Moving an Edge 821Adding More Faces 824Rotating an Edge 827Adding a Crease 828Splitting and Extruding a Mesh Face 830Creating Mesh Surfaces 833Revolved Surface 833Edge Surface 835Ruled Surface 836Tabulated Surface 837Converting Meshes to Solids 837Understanding 3D Surfaces 838Editing Surfaces 841Using Extrude, Surface Trim, and Surface Fillet 842Using Surface Blend, Patch, and Offset 845Understanding Associativity 848Editing with Control Vertices 852Editing with the CV Edit Bar 855Making Holes in a Surface with the Project Geometry Panel 857Visualizing Curvature: Understanding the Analysis Panel 859The Bottom Line 861Part 5 Customization and Integration 863Chapter 24 Customizing Toolbars, Menus, Linetypes,and Hatch Patterns 865Using Workspaces 865Customizing the User Interface 867Taking a Quick Customization Tour 867Understanding the Customizations In All Files Panel 871Getting the Overall View 874Finding Commands in the Command List 875Opening Preview, Button Image, and Shortcuts 875Getting to the Core of Customization in the Properties Group 876Creating Your Own Ribbon Panels and Menus 877Customizing Ribbon Panel Tools 878Creating Macros in Tools and Menus 881Pausing for User Input 883Opening an Expanded Text Box for the Macro Option 883Editing Keyboard Shortcuts 884Saving, Loading, and Unloading Your Customizations 887Understanding the DIESEL Macro Language 889Using DIESEL at the Command Line 889Using DIESEL in a Custom Menu Macro 891Using DIESEL as a Menu Bar Option Label 892Using DIESEL and Fields to Generate Text 893Creating Custom Linetypes 896Viewing Available Linetypes 896Creating a New Linetype 897Understanding the Linetype Code 898Creating Complex Linetypes 899Creating Hatch Patterns 901The Bottom Line 903Chapter 25 Managing and Sharing Your Drawings 905Sharing Drawings Online 905Sharing Project Files with eTransmit 906Publishing Your Drawings 910Exchanging Drawing Sets 910Exploring Other Publish Options 912Creating a PDF or DWF File by Using the Plot Dialog Box 914Sharing Views for Commenting 916Using the Shared Views Tool 917Using the Autodesk Viewer Web Page 919Adding Hyperlinks to Drawings 920Creating Hyperlinks 921Editing and Deleting Hyperlinks 922Taking a Closer Look at the Hyperlink Options 923Managing Your Drawings with DesignCenter and the Tool Palettes 924Getting Familiar with DesignCenter 924Opening and Inserting Files with DesignCenter 928Finding and Extracting the Contents of a Drawing 929Exchanging Data Between Open Files 933Loading Specific Files into DesignCenter 934Customizing the Tool Palettes with DesignCenter 934Comparing Drawing Versions to Discover Changes 939Using the Drawing Compare Tool 939Looking at the Compare Tab Tools 940Establishing Office Standards 940Establishing Layering and Text Conventions 941Checking Office Standards 942Converting Multiple Layer Settings 946Exploring Other Layer Translator Options 948The Bottom Line 949Appendices 951Appendix A The Bottom Line 951Chapter 1: Exploring the Interface 951Chapter 2: Creating Your First Drawing 952Chapter 3: Setting Up and Using the Drafting Tools 953Chapter 4: Organizing Objects with Blocks and Groups 954Chapter 5: Keeping Track of Layers and Blocks 955Chapter 6: Editing and Reusing Data to Work Efficiently 955Chapter 7: Mastering Viewing Tools, Hatches, and External References 956Chapter 8: Introducing Printing, Plotting, and Layouts 957Chapter 9: Adding Text to Drawings 958Chapter 10: Using Fields and Tables 959Chapter 11: Using Dimensions 960Chapter 12: Using Attributes 961Chapter 13: Copying Existing Drawings from Other Sources 962Chapter 14: Advanced Editing and Organizing 963Chapter 15: Laying Out Your Printer Output 963Chapter 16: Making "Smart" Drawings with Parametric Tools 964Chapter 17: Using Dynamic Blocks 965Chapter 18: Drawing Curves 966Chapter 19: Getting and Exchanging Data from Drawings 968Chapter 20: Creating 3D Drawings 969Chapter 21: Using Advanced 3D Features 970Chapter 22: Editing and Visualizing 3D Solids 971Chapter 23: Exploring 3D Mesh and Surface Modeling 972Chapter 24: Customizing Toolbars, Menus, Linetypes, and Hatch Patterns 973Chapter 25: Managing and Sharing Your Drawings 975Appendix B Installing and Setting Up AutoCAD 977Before Installing AutoCAD 977Proceeding with the Installation 977Configuring AutoCAD 978The Files Tab 978The Display Tab 981The Open And Save Tab 983The Plot and Publish Tab 986The System Tab 986The User Preferences Tab 987The Drafting Tab 989The 3D Modeling Tab 991The Selection Tab 992The Profiles Tab 994Turning On the Noun/Verb Selection Method 995Turning on the Grips Feature 995Setting Up the Tracking Vector Feature 996Adjusting the AutoCAD 3D Graphics System 996Finding Folders That Contain AutoCAD Files 996Setting Up AutoCAD with a White Background 997Appendix C The Autodesk AutoCAD 2019 Certification 999Index