Welcome to the AutoCAD 2010 & AutoCAD LT 2010 Bible. Whether you use AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT, you'll find complete explanations of all the powerful features that you need to know about to design and draw anything. This book is designed to be your comprehensive guide to both the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT programs.
This book covers every significant AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT feature. If you're a beginning user, you'll find everything you need to start out; if you're already using AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT regularly, the book covers advanced material as well. Although you can use this book as a tutorial if you're just starting out or learning a new set of features, it also provides a solid reference base to come back to again and again. The short tutorials on almost every topic will quickly have you creating professional-level drawings. The DVD is chock-full of drawings, a trial version of AutoCAD 2010, and add-in programs (which are for AutoCAD only). This book is all that you need to make full use of either program.
For AutoCAD 2010, the emphasis is on a wide range of new features, including parametric constraints and 3D mesh modeling.
The AutoCAD 2010 & AutoCAD LT 2010 Bible covers all of the essential features of AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT and includes clear, real-life examples and tutorials that you can adapt to your needs.
Although I fully cover the basics, I have also included material on the many advanced features, such as AutoLISP, 3D modeling, rendering, and customization. (Most of the advanced features apply to AutoCAD only.) The following categories should help you decide whether this book is for you.
If you are new to AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT, the AutoCAD 2010 & AutoCAD LT 2010 Bible guides you through all that you need to know to start drawing effectively, whatever your field. Just start at the beginning.
This book highlights all of the new features and helps you to make the upgrade transition as seamless as possible. Look for the New Feature icons.
You already know what CAD is all about. This book clearly explains the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT way of drawing the models that you have already been drawing. In addition, you'll find a great deal of essential information about transferring files and data from other formats.
This book is divided into eight parts.
Part I: AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Basics
Part I provides the background information that you need to start drawing. It starts with a "quick tour" that has you drawing right away, and then covers how to start a drawing, use commands, specify coordinates, and set up a drawing.
Part II: Drawing in Two Dimensions
Part II covers all of the commands and procedures for drawing and editing in two dimensions. In addition, I discuss how to control the drawing process with layers, zooming, and panning. Also included in this part is information about dimensioning, plotting, and printing.
Part III: Working with Data
Part III covers many ways to organize and share data, including blocks, attributes, external references, and external databases.
Part IV: Drawing in Three Dimensions
Part IV explains everything that you need to know to draw in three dimensions. It also discusses how to present 3D drawings using shading and rendering techniques.
Part V: Organizing and Managing Drawings
Part V helps you to incorporate AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT into your work world by explaining how to set standards, manage drawings, and work with other applications. It concludes with a chapter on creating electronic output.
Part VI: Customizing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT
Part VI introduces the tools that you need to customize commands, toolbars, linetypes, hatch patterns, shapes, fonts, and the ribbon. You'll also find a chapter on creating macros with script files as well as the Action Recorder.
Part VII: Programming AutoCAD
Part VII introduces you to programming AutoCAD. It includes three chapters on AutoLISP and Visual LISP, and one chapter on Visual Basic for Applications. This part applies to AutoCAD only.
Part VIII: Appendixes
Part VIII provides additional information for AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT users. Appendix A gives instructions for installing and configuring AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. Appendix B covers additional resources for AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT users. Appendix C explains what you'll find on the DVD.
Note
The DVD contains a complete copy of this book in nonprintable PDF format.
You can use this book in two ways: as a tutorial and learning tool, or as a reference.
The overall organization of the book goes from simple to complex, and each chapter has several step-by-step exercises. This enables you to use the book as a tutorial, from beginning to end. You can always go back and redo any exercise when you need to refresh your memory on a particular feature.
For newcomers to AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT, Parts I (AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Basics) and II (Drawing in Two Dimensions) are essential. After that, you can refer to chapters that interest you. Parts III (Working with Data) and V (Organizing and Managing Drawings) are also useful for beginners. Intermediate users will probably be familiar with most of the material in Part I and will be more likely to skip around, looking for the specific topics that they need. However, don't forget that many new features are introduced in Part I. Enough material appears in this book to bring intermediate users up to a fairly advanced level.
I have designed this book to be comprehensive and to include every significant feature of AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. Therefore, do not be concerned if some of the material seems too advanced. It will be there when you are ready for it.
The AutoCAD 2010 & AutoCAD LT 2010 Bible is organized as a reference that you can refer to whenever you are stuck, or when you try to do something for the first time. Each chapter covers a topic completely, making it easy to find what you're looking for. Each Steps exercise (with a few exceptions) can be done on its own without doing the other exercises in the chapter. You can easily look up a topic and complete a related exercise without having to go through the entire chapter. A complete index at the back of the book can also help you to find features and topics.
AutoCAD is a very customizable program. To a lesser extent, AutoCAD LT can also be customized in many ways. This book assumes that you are working with the default setup. However, a number of changes may have been made to your system that could result in the user interface and drawings appearing or even functioning differently from those shown in this book. If you installed AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT yourself and made some adjustments, you know what changes you have made. However, if you are using a computer that was set up by someone else, it may help to talk to that person first, to see what changes they made.
In addition, as you work through some of the exercises in this book, you will make certain changes in the program's setup. Most of these are minor changes that any user would make while drawing. For safety, Cautions and Tips accompany all changes that could have serious consequences, such as customizing the menu. For example, when customizing the menu, you will be instructed to copy the menu file under a new name, and you will then work with the new menu file, not the original one. Nevertheless, if you are working on a network or sharing your computer with someone else, it is important to consult with others who may be affected by the changes that you make.
If you do the exercises, I recommend that you do them from the beginning. Important instructions are given during earlier exercises that may affect your system later. For example, one of the first exercises is to create a new folder to hold your drawings from the exercises. This folder keeps your exercise drawings separate from other drawings that have been created in your office. However, each exercise stands on its own so that you can go back and do only the exercise that you need.
Note
You can create your own configuration to help ensure that some changes that you make will not affect others. Instructions for doing this appear in Appendix A under the heading "Creating Multiple Configurations."
The exercises in the AutoCAD 2010 & AutoCAD LT 2010 Bible have been carefully checked by a technical editor to ensure accuracy. However, we cannot anticipate all situations, due to either varying hardware and software configurations or customization. If you have a problem with an exercise, contact me at the e-mail address listed at the end of this Preface so that I can correct the problem in the book's next edition. I will also try to give you the information that you need to complete the exercise.
Given all the ways in which you can execute a command in AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT, you'll find it useful to read this section, which describes this book's typographical conventions. You will find this section helpful for doing the step-by-step exercises as well.
AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT offer workspaces (covered fully in Appendix A) that provide very different ways of executing commands. The default workspace, 2D Drafting & Annotation, uses the ribbon and Application menu, whereas the Classic workspace uses more traditional menus and toolbars. I use this default workspace (or the 3D Modeling workspace for 3D drawing in AutoCAD) throughout the book. All workspaces offer a command line, where you can execute a command by entering its name.
When I explain how to execute a command, I give the instructions for doing so on the ribbon. In addition, I almost always provide the name of the command so that you can enter it on the command line.
The new ribbon created a quandary for me, because I know that some people, especially those upgrading from earlier releases, will not use it; instead, they will prefer to use the Classic workspace with its familiar menus and toolbars. However, I felt that explaining how to execute each command in three ways (the ribbon, the menu/toolbar, and on the command line) would be awkward, perhaps confusing, and space-consuming. What should you do if you are using this book with the Classic workspace?
In many cases, especially if you're upgrading, you'll already know where to find familiar commands. For new commands, it's easy to find their location in the Classic workspace by going to the Help system. Follow these steps:
Press F1 to open the Help window.
Click the Contents tab on the left.
Expand the Command Reference and then the Commands item.
Expand the listing of the command's first letter and click the command.
Look at the top of the right-hand pane, where you'll find instructions for all the available methods of executing the command.
When referring to the ribbon, I might say, "Choose Home tab
A few of the ribbon panels have drop-down lists (or flyouts), which are equivalent to sub-menus. Therefore, to indicate which button to choose, I may need to tell you to choose View tab
To indicate that you should choose a command from the Application menu, for example, I say, "Choose Application Button
Every command also has a command name that you can type on the command line, which appears at the bottom of your screen. Command names are shown in capital letters, as in CIRCLE. AutoLISP functions (which apply to AutoCAD only) are shown in small capital letters, as in COMMAND.
In order to create clear, legible figures, I have used the default off-white background in AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. However, many people use a black drawing area. In Appendix A, I explain how to change this color. As you read through the book, you should be aware that you may see on your screen a negative image of what I show in the figures — a dark background and light-colored objects. Once you get used to this difference, you'll easily recognize what you see in the figures.
In AutoCAD, the 3D environment further changes what you see on your screen. The default 3D background is gray. Again, I have sometimes changed the background color to white for the purpose of creating a clear figure.
In the step-by-step exercises, most instructions are presented in the same font and style that you are reading now. However, when I reproduce the command line, the prompts appear in a nonproportional font. Other instructions (such as "Type the first coordinate") are shown in italic. In any context, input that you need to type appears in bold.
The Dynamic Input feature shows prompts near your cursor, but additional options only appear if you click the down arrow on your keyboard. To make clear all of the available options, I use the command line format of prompts.
Here's a sample step-by-step section. In this exercise, you click the proper ribbon button (which is shown in the margin), type the number shown in bold, press Enter where indicated by the bent arrow (
Specify offset distance or [Through/Erase/Layer] <Through>:
4Select object to offset or [Exit/Undo] <Exit>:
Click the rectangle to select it. Specify point on side to offset or Exit/Multiple/Undo] <Exit>:Click anywhere inside the rectangle. Select object to offset or [Exit/Undo] <Exit>:
Often I refer to specific elements in a drawing. References to these elements appear in the text as numbers in circles, such as
You can draw using a mouse or a puck. The mouse is familiar to all users. A puck (or sometimes a stylus) is used with a digitizing tablet. Because most users do not have a digitizing tablet, I do not directly refer to it in this book. If you have one, follow the instructions for using the mouse in the same way, but using your puck.
A mouse can have two or more buttons. Many users like using a mouse with at least three buttons because you can customize the buttons to suit your needs. However, because many mice have only two buttons, I assume only two. The left mouse button is used to choose commands and toolbar buttons, and to pick points in your drawing. For this reason, it is sometimes called the pick button. The right button usually opens a shortcut menu.
The time-sensitive right-clicking feature enables you to use the right button either to open a shortcut menu or as the equivalent of pressing Enter. Because this feature is not on by default, I do not assume that you have turned it on. I use the term right-click when you need to access a shortcut menu. If you have time-sensitive right-clicking turned on, you need to hold down the right mouse button more than 250 milliseconds (by default) to display the shortcut menu. See Chapter 3 and Appendix A for more details.
If I say one of the following
Choose Application Button
Choose Home tab
Select the circle in your drawing
it means that you need to use the left button of your mouse.
When I say to press Enter, it means that you need to press the key that is marked Enter, Return, or
I also use the mouse terms listed in the following table.
Table 1. Mouse Terms
Term | Description |
|---|---|
Cursor | The shape on your screen that shows you where the mouse is pointed. It can take a number of shapes, such as crosshairs, pickbox, or arrow. It is also known as the mouse pointer. |
Pickbox | A type of cursor consisting of a small box, used to select drawing objects. |
Crosshairs | A type of cursor consisting of intersecting lines, sometimes with a pickbox at their center. |
Pick | Point to a drawing object and click the left mouse button. |
Click | Press the left mouse button once and release it. |
Double-click | Press the left mouse button twice in rapid succession. |
Click and drag | Click the left mouse button and hold it down while you move the mouse, dragging an object on your screen with it. |
Choose | Click a ribbon item, menu item, toolbar button, or dialog box item. You can sometimes choose an item using the keyboard, as well. I also use this word when you need to choose a command option, which you can do by choosing from a shortcut menu with a mouse, as well as by typing the option's abbreviation on the keyboard. |
Right-click | Press the right mouse button once and release it. If you have turned on time-sensitive right-clicking, hold the right mouse button at least 250 milliseconds (by default) before releasing it. |
Shift and click | While holding down the Shift key, press the left mouse button once and release it. |
Shift and right-click | While holding down the Shift key, press the right mouse button once and release it. |
Shift and mouse wheel | Press the Shift key and hold down the mouse wheel, using it like a button. |
Select | Highlight an object in a drawing by picking it or by using another object selection method, or highlight text in a dialog box or text document. |
AutoCAD 2010 & AutoCAD LT 2010 Bible is liberally sprinkled with icons — symbols in the left margin that call your attention to noteworthy points.
Note
This icon means that the feature that I am discussing is not available in AutoCAD LT.
Warning
The Caution icon means that you should pay special attention to the information or instructions because a possibility exists that you could cause a problem otherwise.
Note
Cross-References refer you to a related topic elsewhere in the book. Because you may not read this book straight through from cover to cover, you can use cross-references to quickly find just the information you need.
Note
The New Feature icon means that a feature is new to AutoCAD 2010 or AutoCAD LT 2010 or has been significantly changed.
Note
A Note icon alerts you to some important point that requires special attention, or additional information that may be helpful.
Note
The On the DVD-ROM icon highlights references to related material on the DVD.
Tip
A Tip shows you a way to accomplish a task more efficiently or quickly. You'll find plenty of practical advice here.
The DVD contains all of the drawings that you need to do the exercises in this book. These drawings are a great resource to help you learn using real-world drawings. In addition, the DVD includes the drawings that result after you finish an exercise or tutorial. In this way, you can check whether you have done an exercise correctly.
The DVD also contains many add-on programs that I hope you will find useful. I am especially pleased to include 30-day trial versions of AutoCAD 2010 and AutoCAD LT 2010 on the DVD, as well as this entire book in (nonprintable) PDF format. For more information, read Appendix C.
This book assumes that you know the basics of Windows, although the instructions that you'll read here are usually detailed enough to get you through any task.
AutoCAD 2010 & AutoCAD LT 2010 Bible covers AutoCAD 2010 and AutoCAD LT 2010. However, most of the information also applies to the 2009 release of both programs. I have used AutoCAD in Windows Vista, but almost everything also applies to Windows XP, although some of the screens will look different. If you are using AutoCAD LT 2010, again, some of the screens will look different. Where there is a significant difference between AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT, I explain the difference.
I would be happy to hear any comments that you have about this book. The best way to contact me is by e-mail at [email protected]. You can also use the United States Postal Service (a.k.a. snail mail) and write to me in care of Wiley. Please note that I can't provide technical support for my readers. The publisher maintains a page on its site that includes the drawings used in the exercises (in case you lose your DVD) and any errata at www.wiley.com/go/autocad2010bible. I have my own Web site at www.ellenfinkelstein.com that contains information on my books, errata (at www.ellenfinkelstein.com/autoCAD.html#errata), and AutoCAD, including many AutoCAD tips. I invite you to sign up there for my free AutoCAD Tips Newsletter, so that you can continue the learning process. Go to www.ellenfinkelstein.com/acad_submit