STUDENT ACTIVITY SHEETS

Name Course Year-Section

Course BES-CAD Computer-Aided Drafting
Topic AutoCAD Modify Week 8
Intended Learning Outcomes Materials
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to: Computer
o Perform operations such as erase, move, and trim on the objects (Desktop or
in a drawing. Laptop), Student
References Activity Sheet,
1. AutoCAD 2021 User’s Guide © Autodesk, Inc. 2020 All rights reserved AutoCAD Software

Lesson Preparation and Presentation

Directions: Acquaint with the lessons presented below.

Modify

Perform operations such as erase, move, and trim on the objects in a drawing. The most common
of these tools are located on the Modify panel of the Home tab. Take a minute to look through
them.

Erase
To erase an object, use the ERASE command. You can enter E in the Command window, or click
the Erase tool. When you see the cursor change to a square pickbox, click each object that you
want to erase, and then press Enter or the Spacebar.

NOTE: Alternatively, before you enter any command, you can select several objects and then
press the Delete key. Experienced users often use this method as well.

Select Multiple Objects

Sometimes you need to select a large number of objects. Instead of selecting each object
individually, you can select the objects in an area by clicking an empty location (1), moving your
cursor right or left, and then clicking a second time (2).

• With a crossing selection, any objects within or touching the green area are selected.
• With a window selection, only the objects completely contained within the blue area
are selected.
The result is called the selection set, which is the set of objects that will be processed by a
command.

TIP: You can easily remove objects from the selection set. For example, if you select 42 objects,
and two of them should not have been selected, hold down Shift and then select the two that you
want to remove. Then, press Enter or the Spacebar, or right click to end the selection process.

Student Activity Sheets for BES-CAD Computer-Aided Drafting by Arwin Z. Visitacion 1

Move and Copy
Here's how you would use the COPY command to lay out a row of decorative tiles. Starting with
a polyline that represents its shape, you need to make copies that are 1/8" apart.

From here, you can choose between two methods, depending on what's more convenient. You
will use both these methods frequently.

The Distance Method

The second tile needs to be a total of 9-7/8" + 1/8" = 10" to the right of the original tile. So, you
select the tile, press Enter or the Spacebar to end your selection, and click anywhere in the
drawing area (1). This point does not have to be located on the tile.

Next, you move your cursor to the right, relying on the polar tracking angle to keep the direction
horizontal, and then enter 10 for the distance. Press Enter or the Spacebar a second time to end
the command.
The specified distance and a direction from the point (1) is applied to the tile that you selected.

The Two Points Method

Another method, one that you will often use when you don't want to add numbers together,
requires two steps. You start the COPY command and select the tile as before, but this time you
click the two endpoints as shown. These two points also define a distance and direction.

Next, to add the 1/8" space between the tiles, click the Move tool or enter M in the Command
window. The MOVE command is similar to the COPY command. Select the newly copied tile, and
press Enter or the Spacebar. As before, click anywhere in the drawing area and move your cursor
to the right. Enter 1/8 or .125 for the distance.

TIP: The two points that define the distance and direction don't need to be located on the object
that you want to copy or move. You can use two points specified anywhere in your model.

For example, enter the MOVE command. Use a selection method to select the objects in the
rectangle (1). Specify a base point (2) and a second point (3) to determine the distance and
direction of the move. Press Spacebar or Enter to see the results.

The distance and direction determined by the endpoints at 2 and 3 in the illustration are applied
to the rectangle at the right. This is a good way to specify existing distances for moving and
copying objects.

Student Activity Sheets for BES-CAD Computer-Aided Drafting by Arwin Z. Visitacion 2

Create Multiple Copies
Similarly, you can use the two-points method as a repeating sequence. Let's say that you want to
make more copies of the circle at the same horizontal distance. You start the COPY command
and select the circle as shown.

Then, using the Center object snap, click the center of circle 1, followed by the center of circle 2,
and so on.

For larger numbers of copies, try experimenting with the Array option of the COPY command. For
example, here's a linear arrangement of deep foundation piles. From a base point, you specify
number of copies and the center-to-center distance.

Offset
Most models include a lot of parallel lines and curves. Creating them is easy and efficient with the
OFFSET command. Click the OFFSET tool or enter O in the Command window.

Select the object (1), specify the offset distance, and click to indicate on which side of the original
that you want the result (2). Here is an example of offsetting a polyline.

TIP: A fast way to create concentric circles is to offset them.

Trim and Extend

A popular technique is to use the OFFSET command in combination with the TRIM and EXTEND
commands. Trimming and extending are some of the most commonly used operations. Click the
TRIM or MOVE tool or enter TR for TRIM or EX for EXTEND in the Command window.

In the following illustration, let's say you want to extend the lines that represent the steps for this
deck. You start the Extend command and select the objects to be extended (near the ends to be
extended) and then press Enter or the Spacebar to end the command.

Student Activity Sheets for BES-CAD Computer-Aided Drafting by Arwin Z. Visitacion 3

As a result, the lines are extended to the first boundary that they encounter.

If there are multiple objects to extend, you can use faster ways of selecting the objects to extend.
For example
• Two-point fence selection. Click an empty location (1) and then click a second
location that crosses the objects to be extended (2).
• Freehand selection. Click and drag an empty location (1) to another location (2).

The TRIM command follows the same steps, except that when you select the objects to trim, you
select the portions to trim away.

Mirror
The following illustration comes from a tile project. The walls in this residential bathroom are
flattened out to be able to lay out the tile pattern and estimate the number of tiles needed.

Student Activity Sheets for BES-CAD Computer-Aided Drafting by Arwin Z. Visitacion 4

You can save a lot of work by taking advantage of the symmetry between the left and right walls.
All you need to do is create the tiles on one wall and then mirror the wall across the center of the
room.

In the example below, you start the MIRROR command (or enter MI in the Command window),
use window selection (1 and 2) to select the geometry on the right wall, press Enter or the
Spacebar, and then specify a mirror line (3 and 4) corresponding to the centerline of the bathroom.

Finally, decline the option to "Erase source objects" by pressing Enter or the Spacebar.

TIP: Always look for symmetry to save yourself extra work, even if the symmetry is not 100%
identical.

Stretch
You can stretch most geometric objects. This lets you lengthen and shorten parts of your model.
For example, this model might be a gasket or the design for a public park.

Use the STRETCH command (or enter S in the Command window) and select the objects with a
crossing selection as shown below (1 and 2). The crossing selection is mandatory—only the
geometry that is crossed by the crossing selection is stretched. Then click anywhere in the
drawing area (3), move the cursor to the right, and enter 50 as the distance. This distance might
represent millimeters or feet.

To shorten the model by a specified amount, you'd move your cursor to the left instead.

Student Activity Sheets for BES-CAD Computer-Aided Drafting by Arwin Z. Visitacion 5

Fillet
The FILLET command (enter F in the Command window) creates a rounded corner by creating
an arc that is tangent to two selected objects. Notice that the fillet is created relative to where you
select the objects.

You can create a fillet between most types of geometric objects, including lines, arcs, and polyline
segments.

TIP: If you hold down the Shift key when you select the second object, the result trims or extends
the selected objects to a sharp corner.

Explode
The EXPLODE command (enter X in the Command window) disassociates a compound object
into its component parts. You can explode objects such as polylines, hatches, and blocks
(symbols). After you explode a compound object, you can modify each resulting individual object.

Edit Polylines
You can choose from several useful options when you want to modify a polyline. The PEDIT
command (enter PE in the Command window) is located on the drop-down list of the Modify panel.

With this command, you can

• Join two polylines into a single polyline if they share a common endpoint

• Convert lines and arcs into a polyline—simply enter PEDIT and select the line or arc

• Change the width of a polyline

TIP: In some cases, the easiest method to modify a polyline is to explode it, make the
modifications, and then turn the objects back into a polyline using the Join option of the PEDIT
command.

Grips
Grips are displayed when you select an object without starting a command. Grips are often handy
for light editing. For example, the line below accidentally snapped to the wrong endpoint. You can
select the misaligned line, click on a grip and then click to specify the correct location.

By default, when you click a grip, you automatically start in **STRETCH** mode as indicated in
the Command window. If you want to explore other ways of editing objects with grips, press Enter
or the Spacebar to cycle through several other editing modes. Some people perform many editing
operations using grips.

Student Activity Sheets for BES-CAD Computer-Aided Drafting by Arwin Z. Visitacion 6

Practice and Performance
Multiple Choice: Review the lessons above (you may also refer to other online and offline
resources to enhance your knowledge and understanding) then answer the questions below by
encircling the letter matching the best (or what you think is the right) answer.

1. You can perform operations such as erase, move, and trim on the objects in a drawing.
a. ADJUST B. CHANGE C. EDIT D. MODIFY
2. You can use the _______ command to _______ an object by entering E in the Command window,
or clicking the _______ tool.
a. COPY b. ERASE c. MOVE d. OFFSET
3. You can click the _______ tool or enter CP in the Command window to start the command.
a. COPY b. ERASE c. MOVE d. OFFSET
4. You can use the _______ command just like the COPY command without duplicating the object.
a. COPY b. ERASE c. MOVE d. OFFSET
5. You can use the _______ command to create parallel lines and curves easily and efficiently by
clicking the _______ tool or entering O in the Command window.
a. COPY b. ERASE c. MOVE d. OFFSET
6. You can start this command and select the objects to be extended and then press Enter or the
Spacebar to end the command.
a. EXTEND b. MIRROR c. STRETCH d. TRIM
7. You can use this command to select the portions of objects to cut away.
a. EXTEND b. MIRROR c. STRETCH d. TRIM
8. You can use this command to save a lot of work by taking advantage of the symmetry between
objects even if the symmetry is not 100% identical.
a. EXTEND b. MIRROR c. STRETCH d. TRIM
9. You can use this command to lengthen and shorten most geometric parts of your model.
a. EXTEND b. MIRROR c. STRETCH d. TRIM
10. You can use this command to create a rounded corner by creating an arc that is tangent to two
selected objects. It is created relative to where you select the objects.
a. EXPLODE b. FILLET c. GRIPS d. PEDIT
11. You can use this command to disassociate a compound object into its component parts then you
can modify each resulting individual object.
a. EXPLODE b. FILLET c. GRIPS d. PEDIT
12. You can use this command to join two polylines into a single polyline if they share a common
endpoint, convert lines and arcs into a polyline and change the width of a polyline.
a. EXPLODE b. FILLET c. GRIPS d. PEDIT
13. _______ are displayed when you select an object without starting a command and are often handy
for light editing.
a. EXPLODE b. FILLET c. GRIPS d. PEDIT
14. Any objects within or touching the green area are selected.
a. crossing selection b. crossing window c. selection set d. window selection
15. Only the objects completely contained within the blue area are selected.
a. crossing selection b. crossing window c. selection set d. window selection
16. A way of copying or moving objects by specifying the distance and direction from any point in the
drawing area and applying it to the object you selected.
a. Freehand selection c. The Two Points Method
b. The Distance Method d. Two-point fence selection
17. A way of copying or moving objects by clicking two endpoints specified anywhere in your model
and applying it to the object you selected.
a. Freehand selection c. The Two Points Method
b. The Distance Method d. Two-point fence selection
18. A faster way of selecting multiple objects to extend or trim by clicking an empty location and then
clicking a second location that crosses the objects to be extended or trimmed.
a. Freehand selection c. The Two Points Method
b. The Distance Method d. Two-point fence selection
19. A faster way of selecting multiple objects to extend or trim by clicking and dragging an empty
location to another location.
a. Freehand selection c. The Two Points Method
b. The Distance Method d. Two-point fence selection
20. You can use this option of the COPY command for larger numbers of copies.
a. ARRAY b. MOVE c. PEDIT d. OFFSET

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