AutoCAD Tips

helpful tips for everyday users

Skip to content
 Home
 About
 Website Links
← Temporary OSNAP Overrides (Including 3D Osnaps)
Customize Dynamic Input Coordinates →

Intro To Coordinates
Posted on August 24, 2012by AutoCAD Tips
Note: I must first apologize for the lack of posts lately. I have started
teaching AutoCAD for a local community college at night and it has been
very demanding of my time. Teaching this class should help me focus on
some of the more fundamentals of AutoCAD that I have usually not
bothered to post here on the blog. These fundamentals are a good
reminder for all drafters at any level so I think that covering these topics
will be a good thing.

Coordinates:
Below is an excerpt from the AutoCAD 2002 user’s guide pg# 176-183
“When a command prompts you for a point, you can use the pointing
device to specify a point, or you can enter a value on the command line.
You can enter two-dimensional coordinates as either Cartesian (X,Y) or
polar coordinates.
Cartesian and Polar Coordinates

A Cartesian coordinate system has three axes X, Y, and Z. When you

enter coordinate values, you indicate a point’s distance (in units) and its
direction (- or +) along the X, Y and Z axes relative to the coordinate
system origin (0,0,0).

In 2D, you specify points on the XY plane, also called the construction
plane. The construction plane is similar to a flat sheet of grid paper. The
X value of the cartesian coordinate specifies the horizontal distance, and
the Y value specifies the vertical distance. The origin point (0,0) indicates
where the two axes intersect.
The origin is marked by an object known as the UCS icon UCS = User
Coordinate System. This icon can be manipulated (moved and rotated)
such that the origin point moves. But for the purposes of learning the
basics of coordinates, this post will treat the UCS icon as a static object
in a permanent position. Oddly enough, the UCS icon does have
permanant position that it can always be re-positioned to. This position is
called the “World coordinates.”

Absolute Coordinates let you type in a specific X and Y location on the

construction plane.
Use the picture below to work through the use of using absolute
coordinates to create the shape that is shown. Note that the coordinates
that are shown in the lower left of the screen (status bar) displays the
coordinates of your cursor.

Note the all of the Drafting Setting toggles are turned off. this is because
when DYN (dynamic input) is turned on it changes how absolute and
relative coordinates are entered.

Relative Coordinate entry is simply specifying the next point as it relates

to your previously defined point whether you picked a point with the
cursor or you entered a specific coordinate. Think of this method as the
last point you specified being equal to the coordinate 0,0.
The way that you tell AutoCAD that you want to use relative coordinates
is that you prefix the coordinate with the @ symbol. Note that the first
point that is specified is an absolute coordinate since there is not a
specified previous point.

Note the all of the Drafting Setting toggles are turned off. this is because
when DYN (dynamic input) is turned on it changes how absolute and
relative coordinates are entered.

Relative Polar Coordinate entry is very useful but for some people it is
easily forgotten. As shown above, Relative coordinates use the @ symbol
when specifying a point. As shown in the picture below, relative polar
uses the # symbol to specify the LENGTH of the object followed by the <
symbol to specify the angle.
Use the below picture to create the shape that is shown using Relative
Polar Coordinate entry. Turn off all toggles in the drafting settings.
As I have mentioned before each exercise, Dynamic Input when enabled
turns your entry method to an automatic Relative Polar method. This is
confusing because when DYN is turned on and say that you want to
specify the coordinate of 0,0 you will not see anything happen. So in
order to force Dynamic input to use Absolute coordinates use the # sign
before the coordinates.
 About these ads

Loading...

Related
Customize Dynamic Input CoordinatesIn "BASICS"
Rotating your UCSIn "TIPS"
2012 Selectable UCS IconIn "BASICS"

About AutoCAD Tips

I work for a large engineering firm and perform various CAD Administration duties
and. I enjoy teaching/tutoring people in AutoCAD and seeing them enjoy using the
program as much as I do. I hope that you find this blog a useful tool.
View all posts by AutoCAD Tips →

This entry was posted in BASICS, Settling In, Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

← Temporary OSNAP Overrides (Including 3D Osnaps)

Customize Dynamic Input Coordinates →
One Response to Intro To Coordinates
1. Pingback: Customize Dynamic Input Coordinates | AutoCAD Tips
 Leave a Reply

Search

Recent Posts
 AutoLISP: Dynamic Text Align
 AutoCAD 2015: Text Align Dynamically
 AutoCAD Cursor/Crosshair Angle
 AutoLISP: Change Text Styles
 AutoLISP: Rotate Multiple Objects Around Their Base Point
 Follow Blog via Email
Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Join 381 other followers

Sign me up!

Archives
 March 2014
 February 2014
 January 2014
 December 2013
 October 2013
 September 2013
 August 2013
 June 2013
 May 2013
 April 2013
 March 2013
 February 2013
 January 2013
 December 2012
 November 2012
 October 2012
 September 2012
 August 2012
 July 2012
 June 2012
 May 2012
 April 2012
 March 2012
 February 2012
 January 2012
  December 2011
 November 2011
 October 2011
 September 2011
 August 2011
 July 2011
 June 2011
 May 2011
 April 2011
 March 2011
 February 2011
 January 2011
 December 2010
 November 2010
 Top Posts
 AutoCAD 2015: Text Align Dynamically
 Scale Objects with a Reference
 Intro to Isometric Drawing
 Rotating your UCS
 Load Express Tools for 2013
 How to Fix Blocky Circles & Arcs
 AutoCAD 2013: Paper Space Viewports
 Change the "Standard" Font in AutoCAD Template
 Free ways to convert PDFs to DWG
 Embed a Picture (Not as a Reference)
 Categories
 3D Intro
 Attributes
 AutoCAD 2013
 AutoCAD 2015
 AutoLISP
 AutoLISP XREFs
 AutoLISP: 3D
 AutoLISP: Attributes
 AutoLISP: Blocks
 AutoLISP: Creating
 AutoLISP: Dimensions
 AutoLISP: Manage
 AutoLISP: Modify
 AutoLISP: Polylines
 AutoLISP: Text
 BASICS
 Blocks
 CADWorx
 Customization
 Dimensions
 Express Tools
 Hatch
 Isometrics
 Layers
 Layout
  Leaders
 Linetypes
 Manage
 Modifying
 New in 2011
 New in 2012
 New In 2013
 New in 2014
 New in 2015
 OLE Objects
 Paper Space
 PDF
 Polylines
 Portfolio
 Printing – Plotting
 Raster Design
 Revit
 Scripts
 Settling In
 Tables
 Text
 TIPS
 Tool Palletes
 Uncategorized
 Viewports
 Wipeouts
 Workspaces
 XREFs
 Meta
 Register
 Log in
 Entries RSS
 Comments RSS
 WordPress.com
 AutoCAD Tips Twitter
 Text Align option for those who don't have AutoCAD 2015 thanks to
@LeeMacLISPautocadtips.wordpress.com/2014/03/29/aut… 1 day ago
 AutoCAD 2015 Text Align & Suboptionautocadtips.wordpress.com/2014/03/29/aut… 1 day ago
 AutoCAD cursor at odd angle? Use SNAPANG set to zero to go back to
"normal"autocadtips.wordpress.com/2014/03/27/aut… 3 days ago
 Add scripts or lisps to your startup suite to load and run upon opening then use PUBLISH to
apply themtheswamp.org/index.php?topi… 1 week ago
 @AutoCADTips1 Why can't I spell? That should be "AutoLISP: Change Text
Styles..."1 month ago
 AutoLISP: Chengle Text Style for Text &
ATTsautocadtips.wordpress.com/2014/02/06/aut… 1 month ago
 Old School 1991 AutoLISP: Rotate
Multipleautocadtips.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/aut… 1 month ago
AutoCAD Tips
The Twenty Ten Theme Blog at WordPress.com.

Follow
Follow “AutoCAD Tips”
Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.
Join 381 other followers

Sign me up

Powered by WordPress.com