CAAA 2D Theory

Zimbabwe × Japan
 STARTING UP the AutoCAD

Figure 1

Figure 2

AutoCAD INTERFACE

Application Menu

Quick Access Toolbar

Ribbon

Drawing Area

Command Window

Application Status Bar

Figure 3

APPLICATION MENU

Figure 4
 QUICK ACCESS TOOLBAR

Figure 5

RIBBON

tab

panel

flyout
Figure 6

dialog box launcher

Figure 7

retern to
ribbon

change
orientation

Figure 8

DRAWING AREA

Figure 9
 COMMAND WINDOW and COMMAND

Figure 10

APPLICATION STATUS BAR

Figure 11

DOCK, RESIZE, and HIDE the COMMAND WINDOW

The Keyboard

The Mouse

right button
wheel

left button

Figure 12
 The Coordinates

Figure 13 Figure 14 Relative Polar Coordinates

Saving your work, Closing the document and Quitting the AutoCAD

3
5
4
Figure 1. Precision Tools’ Icons
 Figure 2. Object Snap

Figure 3. Object Snap Setting Panel

Figure 4. Ortho mode

Command 1. L - Line
Command 2. PL - PolyLine
Command 3. XL - Xline
Command 4. REC - Rectangle
Command 5. C - Circle
Command 6. A - Arc
Command 7. H - Hatch
Command 8. T - Text
Command 9. M - Move
Command 10. E - Erase
Command 11. CO - Copy
Command 12. RO - Rotate
Command 13. O - Offset
Command 14. F - Fillet
Command 15. TR - Trim
Command 16. X - Explode
Command 17. AA - Area
Command 18. DI - Dist

Figure 1. Command Aliase window

Figure 2. User Defined Command

 13

V-1. The Line weight

It is important for all architects to proparly control the line appearance. When
you work in AutoCAD, you might notice that there are some doropdown lists
in which you can specify line thickness. Of course you can use it though, you
would notice that nothing changes in a display after changing line thickness by
dropdown. This is caused by screen resolution. The difference between 0.1mm
thickness line and 0.2 mm thickness line is too small to indicate in a display.
Consequently, you need to click an object and show detailed to make sure thick-
ness. You can easily guess that this procedure is very troublesome.
Now, AutoCAD provides you the best solution, which is an incredible concept
to control line thickness. That is colour. You can assign a specific thickness to a
specific colour, then you can assign the colour to desired object as it represent Figure V-1. Plot window
desired line thickness rather than true colour. In other word, colour works to
indicate line thickness in AutoCAD, But of course depending on your settings,
it can represent the true colour which comes out in print result.

To set up Colour, take following steps.

step1. Open Plot window.

step2. Go to “Plot style table” at the top right corner (if right part of plot
window is hidden, expand window by clicking the arrow at the bot-
tom right corner). Figure V-2. Add plot style table dialog box

step3. Select “new” from dropdown list. Then select “start from scratch”.
step4. Decide a name for new plot style.
step5. Open “Plot style table editor”.
step6. Select the colour, which you want to edit, in “from view” tab and
“Plot style” table.
step7. Select the colour, which comes out in print result, in “Properties”.
Generally, the black is selected from colour index 1 to 7..
step8. Select line weight, which comes out in print result, in also “proper-
ties”, then there is a suggestion for settings like following; index1
(red) is 0.5 mm, index2 (yellow) is 0.2 mm, index3 (green) is 0.15,
index4 (cyan) and index5 (blue) is 0.9, and index 7 (black) is 2.5 mm.

Now, the colour setting you have just created can be validated by selecting
name of plot style from the dropdown lists which is described at step2.
By the way, I suggested that the colour which is colour index from 1 to 7 is set
Figure V-3. Plot style table editor
up like step8, however sometimes you would need actual colour which comes
out as actual a colour but not black. In case that, the same colours as the colour
index from 1 to 7 are provided. For example if you need red, colour index 1 is
used for line weight and black, but index 10 is still available for actual colour.
14

VI-1. The term of Layer

Understanding about layers is very important to work with not only AutoCAD
but also any ather graphic software which has the same concept. It help us to work
g
nin
easily and efficiently, since it allows us to classify desired object to the suitable layer. Din

It is similar to a folder in computer, you can create as many folder as necessary to

classify each document to the suitable folder, as well as you can create as many layer
as necessary.
Layers is understood by assuming a set of transparent sheets, as shown in Figure
VI-1. For example, there are three layers (transparent sheets) which is drawn dif- g
nin
Din
ferent sort of object, like walls, furniture, and texts. Now they are laid one on top of
another to organise a drawing. It’s great benefit is that you can immediately access
to the object which is necessary to edit by switching layers.

VI-2. Creating layers and Settings

Open “Layer Property Manager” by typing “layer” in command line or go to lay-
er in ribbon. In “Layer Property Manager” you can create a new layer, edit a layer
settings, or delete a layer. Before starting setting up new layer, look for a moment at
the Layer List box. Figure VI-1. The image of layers
The layer List box lists all the layers in the drawing along with each layer’s prop-
erties and modes. Each layer has four properties: Colour, Linetype, Lineweight,
and PlotStyle. Look at the 0 layer row in the list and notice the square and the word
“White” in the colour column. The square is black (or white if you have a black back-
ground for your drawing area), but the name of the colour is called white whether
the square is black or white. Continuous is in the Linetype column. This tells us that
the 0 layer has been assigned the colour White (black or white) and the Continuous
linetype by default.
The three columns to the left of the Colour column are titled On, Freeze, and Figure VI-2. The image of layers
Lock. They have picture icons in the 0 layer low. These columns represent some of
the status modes of the layer and control whether objects on a layer are visible or can
be changed. The visibility status of a layer will be discussed later in this section. The
columns to the right of the Linetype column-Lineweight, Plot Style, and Plot will
also be discussed later.

To create a new layer, follow following steps.

step1. Click on “new” icon . Then, a new layer named temporary name
like “layer1, layer2, layer3 , , ,” should have been added into lists. The lay-
er's name is highlighted, which means that it can be renamed by entering
another name now.
step2. Name for this new layer by entering another name.
step3. Assign a colour for the layer by clicking on colour icon in the
layer row you created and “colour” column. Notice that you Figure VI-3. Select Colour panel
are supposed to assign a colour either as the colour provid-
ed for line weight or as actual colour provided for print result.
Then “Select Colour” window appears. You can assign a desired colour for
layer by clicking on the colour, once again, notice the index colour and it
is concerned about your colour settings like you did in section V. Then
click on OK button. Now, in the Layer List box of the Layer Properties
Manager dialog box, you can see that the colour square for the new layer
has changed to the colour which you have just chosen.

Figure VI-4. Select Linetype panel

 15

step4. Assign a Linetype to the layer by clicking Continuous in Linetype column.

Then Select Linetype panel shown in Figure VI-4 appears. In the Loaded
linetype list, the linetypes which have been loaded are only listed. At the
beginning of drawing, only Continuous line is displayed by default, which
mean that you have to load some linetypes into the list.
step5. Load some linetypes you need by clicking on Load button. Then
Load or Reload Linetypes dialog box comes up. Select a linetype by
clicking on the desired linetype or some linetypes by clicking hold-
ing shift key to add some desired linetypes to a selection. Then click
on OK button to finish loading. Finally, select a linetype from the
list of line which has just been loaded to assign to the new layer.
Now, there are some suggestion for common line types: HIDDEN, HID- Figure VI-5. Load or Reload Linetypes panel
DEN2, Center, Center2, Divide, Divide2.

VI-3. Freezing and Turning Off Layers

Layer can be made invisible either by freezing them or turning them off, but before looking at them, understand about current layer.
When you double click on a name of layer in Name column in Layer List box, a tick mark appears immediate left to the name of layer. This
tick mark tells you which layer you are using now. This ticked layer is called current layer, which means that you can only draw new entity,
like a line, on this current layer. Therefore you always need to make sure the current layer during drawing.
Sometimes, some layers should be hidden, to efficiently edit the desired object. For this purpose, you can turn layer off by clicking bulb
icon in On column, but except current layer row. If you turn a layer off, all the object on the layer becomes invisible. However, if you want
to turn a layer off permanently, you could use Freezing which is located at the next to the bulb icon. Though these two actions are similar,
if you freeze a layer, this setting takes priority. Sometimes these procedure bring you quick access to the desired object to edit them.
If you don’t want to make layer invisible but you want to prevent from unconsciously editing or modifying, you can lock the layer by
clicking on a padlock mark in Lock column.
Finally, you can control layer visibility in a printing result by switching Plot icon which is located in Plot column. If you click here, a
prohibition mark appears which means that the layer is never printed.
A complex drawing should sometimes be controlled properly using above method to help you to draw faster and efficiently.
16

VII-1. The term of Block

Computer drafting gains a significant portion of its efficiency from features that allow you to group a collection of objects into one
object, and to repeatedly use this new object in your current drawing as well as export it to other drawings. AutoCAD calls the grouped
objects a “block”.

These features allow you to:

. Create a block in your current drawing.
. Repeatedly place copies of the block in precise locations in your drawing.
. Save and copy of the block on the hard disk as a drawing file.
. Insert a copy of this new drawing file into a different drawing.

In general, objects best suited to becoming pert of a block are the components of your building that are repeatedly used in the drawing,
such as doors, windows and fixtures, or drawing symbols, like a North arrow or labels for a section cut line.

VII-2. Making a Block for a door

Try to make a block for a door to understand the concept.
step1. Prepare a door shown in figure VII-1
step2. Make sure current layer, because any block is registered on a current layer.
If current layer is not appropriate for the door object, change current layer to the appropriate layer, like door layer.
step3. After selecting the door, type B for command of Block. Then Block definition window will open shown in figure VII-2.
step4. Name a specific name for a new block of door, like “door01”.
step5. Specify a pick point which will be a base point for inserting the block. Then, click OK.
step6. Try to insert the block which you have just created by clicking on “In-
sert” in the ribbon, shown in VII-4. Then Insert window opens.
step7. Chose the name you named for the block from dropdown. Then click OK.
step8. Specify insert point in drawing window. Now, make sure you are picking the block at the point you specified in step5.

Figure VII-1. Door Figure VII-2. Figure VII-3. Insert a block

Figure VII-4. Insert window Figure VII-5. Specifying insert point

Try to create other blocks as many as you need. It help you to draw faster.
 17

VII-3. Revising a block

You can revise a block and make it more useful.
step1. Double click on a block object to enter block editing mode. Then Edit Block Definition window opens.
step2. Make sure the name of block which you double clicked is highlighted, then click OK. Then you will go to Block Editing mode.
You can put some specific actions to the block here. The block defined with specific action is called “Dynamic Block”.
step3. Go to Parameters in Block authoring pallet (if you don’t have it, click on Authoring pallet in the Ribbon), then select Linear.
Put Linear parameter as shown in figure VII-9 and 10.
step4. Select an arrow on the left of longer linear and both arrows of shorter linear, then erase them, as shown in figure VII-11 and 12.
step5. Select Stretch action in Action tab in Block Authoring Pallet. This is similar function to Stretch command. Then select a longer
linear. And next, specify a handle (arrow) used to enable Stretch action as shown in figure VII-13,14.
step6. Make a boundary of stretch region like the whole objects or a part of objects which you want to stretch are surrounded, which
is the same method as the Stretch command, as shown in figure VII-15.
step7. Select objects which you want to stretch. Don’t forget to select shorter linear at the same time.
step8. Make sure the stretch action icon has been added at the bottom right corner.
If you want to delete the action, you may delete this icon.
step9. Select Scale action in Action tab in Block Authoring pallet, then select shorter linear parameter, because every action works
according to change of parameter. After that specify an arc for scale action.
step10. Test the block if it works properly by clicking Test Block in Ribbon. Then you must notice that it doesn’t work properly.
step11. Return to Block Editing window by clicking X at the top right corner.

Figure VII-6. Figure VII-7. Block editing mode Figure VII-8. Block Authoring Pallet

Figure VII-9. Linear Figure VII-10. Linear Figure VII-11. Selecting arrows Figure VII-12. Deleting arrows

Figure VII-13. Stretch action Figure VII-14. Specifying a handle Figure VII-15. Making stretch region Figure VII-16. Making selection

Figure VII-17. Stretch added Figure VII-18. Scale action Figure VII-19. Test Figure VII-20. Chain Action
18

step12. Select shorter linear. Then, turn Chain Action property on in Property pallet as shown in figure VII-20.
step13. Test again. The problem about track of door movement must has been solved. The problem which is left is a only door.
step14. Return to Block Editing window and select Stretch action again. Then, select the longer linear and make boundary of stretch
region as shown in Figure VII-22. After that, select the door lines as shown in Figure VII-23.
step15. Test again. Then, you must notice that door lines stretch in the same direction of handle movement , as shown in figure VII-24.
Return to Block Editing window.
step16. Select the stretch icon which has been created last. Then go to property pallet and change Angle offset to 80 degree, as shown
in figure VII-25.
step17. Test again. Finally, you must have got proper result. Return to Block Editing window.
step18. Close Block Editor window by clicking Close Block Editor at the top right corner. Then, you are asked if you save the changes.
Then definitely save the changes. Otherwise you have to lose it.
step19. Use the block by inserting.

Figure VII-21. Test Figure VII-22. Boundary of stretch region Figure VII-23. Selection

Figure VII-24. Test Figure VII-25. Angle offset Figure VII-26. Test

Figure VII-27. Figure VII-28. Insert the block

 21

VIII-1. Introduction to Layout and Printing

After finishing drawings, you need to print them out. However, when you
print some drawings, they must be combined into a layout. In this section,
you are going to learn what layouts are and how they are activated and set up.
Then, in the next skill, you will print the drawings using a Layout.

Figure VIII-1. Direct layout in drawing space

step1. Change the Printer to “DWG to PDF” to print a Layout as PDF.

step2. Chose the Paper size like it corresponds to the frame which you
prepared in drawing space.
step3. Make sure if “Drawign orientation” is the same as the paper orien-
tation you chose.
step4. Change Plot area to “Window” and click on “Window” button
Figure VIII-2. Print settings
next to the pull down list.
step5. Specify Plot area enclosing like Figure VIII-3.
step6. Tick “Center the plot”.
step7. Untick “Fit to paper” and set up scale you need.
step8. Make sure the Plot style if you use it for line works.
step9. If you use Plot style, make sure if “plot with plotstyle” has been
ticked.
step10. Click on “Apply to Layout” to save above settings as default settings
for this drawings.
step11. Click on “Preview” to make sure print result, and if there is not any
problem, print it by right clicking and selecting plot.
step12. You are suppose to be asked to locate and to name to store the PDF Figure VIII-3. Window
file into the computer. So like saving a file as usual, save it.

Figure VIII-4. Preview

22

VIII-4. The Layout space

When several scale of drawings have to be combined together in the same Layout, the previous method can be troublesome for you be-
cause of calculations based on scales to fit each drawings in drawing space. In this case you should use Layout space which enable you to
layout more flexible. To use layout space, follow below steps.

step1. Click on Layout1 or Layout2 tab to go to layout space. Then step2. Open Plot window and select the printer step3. Click on “Custom
delete the frame which has already existed. you want, ex. “DWG to PDF”. And then Paper Sizes”, then
click on “Properties”. click on “Add” but-
ton.

step4. Tick “Start from scratch”, then click on step5. Set up paper size, ex. A4:297 x step6. Set 0 for margins, and click “Next”.
“next” button. 210 A3:420 x 297 A2:594 x 420
A1:840 x 594

step7. Name for your settings, and click “Next”.

step8. Make sure if your setting is listed into step9. Just go to straight to “Save”
Custom Paper Sizes lists. Then save the button without renaming.
settings by clicking on “Save As” button.

step10. Click on “Yes”.

step11. Click on “Yes”. step12. There should be the customized paper size in paper step13. Click on “Apply to Layout” and Click on “Cancel”
size list. Then chose it. to close the window.
 23

step14. Now, the screen is the same size as the paper that you are going to print step15. Make new the same size frame as paper (screen).
with, which means every drawings in layout space should be scaled. Command: Rectangle , 297 x 210

step18. Change to “View” tab and click

on “Create from Object”.

step16. Make a drawing frame with title box as you like. step17. Create a layout frame with rectangle tool.

step19. Specify the Layout frame that you have cre- step20. Enter the layout frame to arrange drawings step21. After suitably centring the draw-
ated just now. Now it can work like a window by double clicking inside the layout frame. ing in the frame, set drawing
to see drawing space from layout space. And bring the drawing you want to layout. scale for the frame. Then, the
drawing you put is automatically
scaled.

step23. Suitably centre the drawing like step20 and step24. Select proper scale for the frame.
step22. After leaving the first layout frame by double
step21.
clicking outside of paper, creat another frame
for different scale drawing, and repeat the same
things for the frame to layout.

step25. Now, if you do not want to make the layout frames invisible in the print result, you
should change its layer to an invisible layer.
step26. Print the layouts through plot panel, just click OK in the panel.

NOTES
During controlling each layout’s scale, using annotative texts, dimensions, hatchings and

their appearance according to drawing scale.