Chapter 28. Drawing in 3D in AutoCAD

As you work with 3D models inside AutoCAD, you will soon find that there are two skills that will enable you to quickly become as comfortable working in 3D as you are working in 2D. One of these skills is the capability to move around inside the 3D model. The tools needed to develop this capability are discussed in Chapter 27, “Introduction to 3D.” In that chapter you learned the tools and AutoCAD commands needed to establish user coordinate systems, various viewpoints from which to view your 3D geometry, and the usefulness of working with more than one viewport.

In this chapter you will learn about using AutoCAD commands already familiar to you from your work with 2D drawings in a different way as you apply these commands to 3D work. Familiar commands such as LINE and PLINE can be used in 3D work as well— you just use them a little differently. Likewise, edit commands such as ROTATE, MIRROR, and ARRAY have 3D counterparts in 3DROTATE, MIRROR3D, and 3DARRAY. You will also see that tools such as point filters and object snaps are even more important and necessary as you work with 3D space.

Lastly, you will also learn how to create a special AutoCAD object called a Region that acts like a 2D object in some ways and like a 3D object in others.

The following topics are discussed and demonstrated in this chapter:

• Working with lines, polylines, and 3D polylines

• Using object snaps and point filters

• Using 3D editing commands

• Using EXTEND and TRIM in 3D

• Creating regions