Introduction

Welcome to Mastering AutoCAD 2014 and AutoCAD LT 2014. As many readers have already discovered, this book is a unique blend of tutorial and reference that includes everything you need to get started and stay ahead with Autodesk® AutoCAD® software. With this edition, you get coverage of the latest features of both AutoCAD 2014 and AutoCAD LT 2014 software along with detailed information on existing features.

How to Use This Book

Rather than just showing you how each command works, this book shows you AutoCAD 2014 in the context of a meaningful activity. You’ll learn how to use commands while working on an actual project and progressing toward a goal. This book also provides a foundation on which you can build your own methods for using AutoCAD and become an AutoCAD expert. For this reason, we haven’t covered every single command or every permutation of a command response. You should think of this book as a way to get a detailed look at AutoCAD as it’s used on a real project. As you follow the exercises, we also encourage you to explore AutoCAD on your own, applying the techniques you learn to your own work.

Both experienced and beginning AutoCAD users will find this book useful. If you aren’t an experienced user, the way to get the most out of this book is to approach it as a tutorial—chapter by chapter, at least for the first two parts of the book. You’ll find that each chapter builds on the skills and information you learned in the previous one. To help you navigate, the exercises are shown in numbered steps. To address the needs of all readers worldwide, the exercises provide both Imperial (feet/inches) and metric measurements. Some exercises use generic units of measurement or if the focus of the exercise is not dependent on the measurement system, Imperial is used.

After you’ve mastered the material in Parts 1 and 2, you can follow your interests and explore other parts of the book in whatever order you choose. Part 3 takes you to a more advanced skill level. There you’ll learn more about storing and sharing drawing data and how to create more complex drawings. If you’re interested in 3D, check out Part 4. If you want to start customizing right away, go to Part 5. You can check out Chapters 27 and 28 at any time because they give you general information about sharing AutoCAD files with your coworkers and consultants. Chapter 28 focuses on the Sheet Set Manager, which offers a way to organize your multisheet projects.

You can also use this book as a ready reference for your day-to-day problems and questions about commands. Optional exercises at the end of each chapter will help you review and look at different ways to apply the information you’ve learned. Experienced users will also find this book a handy reference tool.

Finally, if you run into problems using AutoCAD, see the section “When Things Go Wrong” in Bonus Chapter 3, “Hardware and Software Tips.” You’ll find a list of the most common issues that users face when first learning AutoCAD.

AutoCAD 2014 and AutoCAD LT 2014

Autodesk has released both AutoCAD 2014 and AutoCAD LT 2014 simultaneously. Not surprisingly, they’re nearly identical in the way they look and work. You can share files between the two programs with complete confidence that you won’t lose data or corrupt files. The main differences are that AutoCAD LT doesn’t support all the 3D functions of AutoCAD 2014, nor does it support the customization tools of AutoLISP® or the .NET Framework. But AutoCAD LT still has plenty to offer in both the productivity and customization areas. Because they’re so similar, we can present material for both programs with only minor adjustments.

When a feature is discussed that is available only in AutoCAD 2014, you’ll see the AutoCAD Only icon.

For the purposes of this publication, the “ACAD only” icon means the relevant (or adjacent) content applies only to AutoCAD® software and not to AutoCAD LT® software.

You’ll also see warning messages when tutorials vary between AutoCAD 2014 and AutoCAD LT. If only minor differences occur, you’ll see either a warning message or directions embedded in the tutorial indicating the differences between the two programs.

We’ve also provided workaround instructions wherever possible when AutoCAD LT doesn’t offer a feature found in AutoCAD 2014.

Getting Information Fast

In each chapter, you’ll find extensive tips and discussions in the form of sidebars set off from the main text. These provide a wealth of information we have gathered over years of using AutoCAD on a variety of projects in different office environments. You may want to browse through the book and read these boxes just to get an idea of how they might be useful to you.

Another quick reference you’ll find yourself using often is Bonus Chapter 4, “System Variables and Dimension Styles.” It contains descriptions of all the dimension settings with comments on their uses. If you experience any problems, you can consult the section “When Things Go Wrong” in Bonus Chapter 3.

The Mastering Series

The Mastering series from Sybex provides outstanding instruction for readers with intermediate and advanced skills in the form of top-notch training and development for those already working in their field, and clear, serious education for those aspiring to become pros. Every Mastering book includes the following:

• Skill-based instruction, with chapters organized around real tasks rather than abstract concepts or subjects
• Self-review test questions, so you can be certain you’re equipped to do the job right

What to Expect

Mastering AutoCAD 2014 and AutoCAD LT 2014 is divided into five parts, each representing a milestone in your progress toward becoming an expert AutoCAD user. Here is a description of those parts and what they will show you.

Part 1: The Basics

As with any major endeavor, you must begin by tackling small, manageable tasks. In this first part, you’ll become familiar with the way AutoCAD looks and feels.

• Chapter 1, “Exploring the Interface,” shows you how to get around in AutoCAD.
• Chapter 2, “Creating Your First Drawing,” details how to start and exit the program and how to respond to AutoCAD commands.
• Chapter 3, “Setting Up and Using the Drafting Tools,” tells you how to set up a work area, edit objects, and lay out a drawing.
• Chapter 4, “Organizing Objects with Blocks and Groups,” explores some tools unique to CAD: symbols, blocks, and layers. As you’re introduced to AutoCAD, you’ll also get a chance to make some drawings that you can use later in the book and perhaps even in future projects of your own.
• Chapter 5, “Keeping Track of Layers and Blocks,” shows you how to use layers to keep similar information together and object properties such as linetypes to organize things visually.

Part 2: Mastering Intermediate Skills

After you have the basics down, you’ll begin to explore some of the more subtle qualities of AutoCAD.

• Chapter 6, “Editing and Reusing Data to Work Efficiently,” tells you how to reuse drawing setup information and parts of an existing drawing.
• Chapter 7, “Mastering Viewing Tools, Hatches, and External References,” details how to use viewing tools and hatches and how to assemble and edit a large drawing file.
• Chapter 8, “Introducing Printing, Plotting, and Layouts,” shows you how to get your drawing onto hard copy.
• Chapter 9, “Understanding Plot Styles,” discusses methods for controlling lineweights and shading in your printer output.
• Chapter 10, “Adding Text to Drawings,” tells you how to annotate your drawing and edit your notes.
• Chapter 11, “Using Fields and Tables,” shows you how to add spreadsheet functionality to your drawings.
• Chapter 12, “Using Dimensions,” gives you practice in using automatic dimensioning (another unique CAD capability).

Part 3: Mastering Advanced Skills

At this point, you’ll be on the verge of becoming a real AutoCAD expert. Part 3 is designed to help you polish your existing skills and give you a few new ones.

• Chapter 13, “Using Attributes,” tells you how to attach information to drawing objects and how to export that information to database and spreadsheet files.
• Chapter 14, “Copying Existing Drawings from Other Sources,” details techniques for transferring paper drawings to AutoCAD. You’ll also learn how to include aerial and map views in your drawings.
• Chapter 15, “Advanced Editing and Organizing,” is where you’ll complete the apartment building tutorial. During this process you’ll learn how to integrate what you’ve learned so far and gain some tips on working in groups.
• Chapter 16, “Laying Out Your Printer Output,” shows you the tools that let you display your drawing in an organized fashion.
• Chapter 17, “Making ‘Smart’ Drawings with Parametric Tools,” introduces you to parametric drawing. This feature lets you quickly modify a drawing by changing a few parameters.
• Chapter 18, “Using Dynamic Blocks,” shows you how you can create blocks that can be edited with grips without having to redefine them.
• Chapter 19, “Drawing Curves,” gives you an in-depth look at some special drawing objects, such as splines and fitted curves.
• Chapter 20, “Getting and Exchanging Data from Drawings,” is where you’ll practice getting information about a drawing and learn how AutoCAD can interact with other applications, such as spreadsheets and page layout programs. You’ll also learn how to copy and paste data.

Part 4: 3D Modeling and Imaging

Although 2D drafting is the workhorse application in AutoCAD, its 3D capabilities give you a chance to expand your ideas and look at them in a new light.

• Chapter 21, “Creating 3D Drawings,” covers basic features for creating three-dimensional drawings.
• Chapter 22, “Using Advanced 3D Features,” introduces you to some of the program’s more powerful 3D capabilities.
• Chapter 23, “Rendering 3D Drawings,” shows how you can use AutoCAD to produce lifelike views of your 3D drawings.
• Chapter 24, “Editing and Visualizing 3D Solids,” takes a closer look at 3D solids and how they can be created, edited, and displayed in AutoCAD 2014.
• Chapter 25, “Exploring 3D Mesh and Surface Modeling,” introduces you to free-form 3D modeling using mesh and surface objects. With this latest addition to AutoCAD, there isn’t anything you can’t model in 3D.

Part 5: Customization and Integration

One of greatest strengths of AutoCAD is its openness to customization, which you’ll explore in this section.

• Chapter 26, “Customizing Toolbars, Menus, Linetypes, and Hatch Patterns,” shows you how to use workspaces, customize the user interface, and create custom linetypes and hatch patterns. You’ll also be introduced to the Diesel macro language.
• Chapter 27, “Managing and Sharing Your Drawings,” shows you how to adapt AutoCAD to your own work style. You’ll learn about the tools that help you exchange drawings with others and how to secure your drawings to prevent tampering.
• Chapter 28, “Keeping a Project Organized with Sheet Sets,” shows you how to use the new Sheet Set Manager to simplify your file management. By using the Sheet Set Manager, you can automate some of the tedious drawing coordination tasks.

The Appendices

Finally, this book has several appendices.

• Appendix A, “The Bottom Line,” contains the solutions to the book’s Master It review questions.
• Appendix B, “Installing and Setting Up AutoCAD,” contains an installation and configuration tutorial. If AutoCAD isn’t already installed on your system, follow the steps in this tutorial before starting Chapter 1.

• Appendix C, “The Autodesk® AutoCAD® 2014 Certification,” shows you where in the book the learning objectives are covered for the Certified User, Certified Associate, and Certified Professional Exams. If you want to get certified, this information will be very useful.

Where to Get the Tutorial Files and Bonus Chapters

Many of the exercises in this book make use of sample files that you can download from the following website: www.sybex.com/go/masteringautocad2014. With these files, you can pick up an exercise anywhere you like without having to work through the book from front to back. You can also use these sample files to repeat exercises or to just explore how files are organized and put together. You can also download additional bonus chapters that cover other AutoCAD features:

• Bonus Chapter 1, “Using the Express Tools,” gives you a gentle introduction to the world of AutoCAD customization. You’ll learn how to load and use existing Express tools that expand the software’s functionality, and you’ll be introduced to AutoLISP as a tool to create macros.
• Bonus Chapter 2, “Exploring AutoLISP,” is a primer to this popular macro language found in AutoCAD. You’ll learn how you can create custom commands built on existing ones and how you can retrieve and store locations and other data.
• Bonus Chapter 3, “Hardware and Software Tips,” provides information about hardware related to AutoCAD. It also offers tips on improving the performance of AutoCAD and troubleshooting and provides more detailed information on setting up the plotting feature.
• Bonus Chapter 4, “System Variables and Dimension Styles,” provides a reference to dimension style settings.

The Minimum System Requirements

This book assumes you have a Windows-based PC with at least a dual-core processor or equivalent CPU. Your computer should have at least one DVD drive and a hard disk with 2 GB or more of free space for the AutoCAD program files and about 120 MB of additional space for sample files and the workspace. In addition to these requirements, you should have enough free disk space to allow for a Windows virtual memory page file that is about 1.5 times the amount of installed RAM. Consult your Windows manual or Bonus Chapter 3 of this book for more on virtual memory.

AutoCAD 2014 runs best on systems with at least 2 GB or more of RAM, although you can get by with 1 GB. Your computer should also have a high-resolution monitor and an up-to-date display card. An SVGA display with a resolution of 1024×768 or greater will work fine with AutoCAD, but if you want to take full advantage of the new 3D features, you should have a 128 MB or greater, OpenGL-capable, workstation-class graphics card. If you intend to use a digitizer tablet, you’ll need one free USB port available. We also assume you’re using a mouse and have the use of a printer or a plotter. Finally, you’ll need an Internet connection to take full advantage of the support offerings from Autodesk.

If you want a more detailed explanation of hardware options with AutoCAD, see Bonus Chapter 3. You’ll find a general description of the available hardware options and their significance to AutoCAD.

Doing Things in Style

Much care has been taken to see that the stylistic conventions in this book—the use of uppercase or lowercase letters, italic or boldface type, and so on—are the ones most likely to help you learn AutoCAD. On the whole, their effect should be subliminal. However, you may find it useful to be conscious of the following rules:

• Menu selections are shown by a series of options separated by the ⇒ symbol (for example, choose File ⇒ New). These are typically used to show selections from a context menu or the Application menu, which you will learn about in Chapter 1.
• Keyboard entries are shown in boldface (for example, enter Rotate↵).
• Command-line prompts are shown in a monospaced font (for example, Select objects:).

For most functions, this book describes how to select options from Ribbon panels and the Application menu. In addition, where applicable, we include related keyboard shortcuts and command names in parentheses. These command names provide continuity for readers who are accustomed to working at the Command prompt.

New Features of AutoCAD 2014

AutoCAD 2014 has a long list of new features, many of which are aimed at making your work easier and faster. Some features like AutoCAD® WS and Autodesk Exchange are web tools that help you share your work, keep up with the latest on AutoCAD, and discuss issues you may be having. Here are some of the new features we cover in this book:

• Improved online help and collaboration tools
• A redesigned command line with Autocorrect and Autocomplete capabilities
• File tabs that allow quick navigation between open files
• Full-screen previews of files through the file tabs
• A layer merge option in the Layer Manager
• Improved Xref management options to switch from attached to overlay Xrefs
• Aerial and map backgrounds with the geographic location tools
• Improved point cloud support
• Improved executable file security

Contact the Authors

We hope that Mastering AutoCAD 2014 and AutoCAD LT 2014 will be of benefit to you and that, after you’ve completed the tutorials, you’ll continue to use the book as a reference. If you have comments, criticism, or ideas about how the book can be improved, you can email us at the following addresses:

George Omura: [email protected]

Brian C. Benton: [email protected]

If you find errors, please let our publisher know. Visit the book’s web page, www.sybex.com/go/masteringautocad2014, and click the Errata link to find a form to use to identify the problem.

And thanks for choosing Mastering AutoCAD 2014 and AutoCAD LT 2014.