To start the Cone command, you can type the word CONE and then press Enter. Alternatively, you can click on the Cone button found in the Create panel in the 3D Basics workspace. If you are using the 3D Modeling workspace, you will find the Cone button in the Modeling panel under the Home tab, or in the Primitive panel under the Solid tab, as shown in the following screenshot:

To create a cone using the default settings, perform the following steps:

1. Choose a location and click to specify the center point of the cone base.
2. Move the mouse and click to specify the radius of the cylinder. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard to enter the radius value and then press Enter.
3. Move the mouse cursor to specify the height and click to finish. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard to enter the height value and then press Enter to finish.

The following screenshot is an illustration of the previous steps:

If you select the cone object, you will find a collection of different grab (control) points, these points can be divided into four categories as follows:

• On the circumference of the cone base, there are four small arrows to control the radius.
• Near the tip of the cone, there is a blue arrow to create/control the top face radius.
• At the center point of the bottom face and at the tip of the cone, there is a small blue arrow pointing out (perpendicular to) the face.
• In the middle of the bottom face, you will find the cone base point, highlighted as a small square:

The small arrows on the base circumference can be used to modify the radius, as shown in the following step-by-step example:

1. Use the mouse cursor to pick one of the circumference small arrows.
2. Move the arrow to modify the radius. Observe that the shape of the cone will change dynamically as the mouse moves. You can also enter the desired value using the keyboard.
3. Click again to set the new radius.

The following screenshot is an illustration of the previous steps:

The arrow near the tip of the cone can be used to create/modify the radius of the upper face, as shown in the following step-by-step example:

1. Pick the arrow near the tip of the cone.
2. Move to modify the radius of the top face. You can also enter the desired value using the keyboard.
3. When you arrive at the desired location, click to finish.

The following screenshot is an illustration of the previous steps:

The arrows at the bottom face, and at the tip of the cone, can be used to change the height of the cone, as shown in the following step-by-step example:

1. Pick the arrow at the tip of the cone (or the arrow in the bottom face center point).
2. Move the face to the new desired location. Observe that the shape of the cone will change dynamically as the mouse moves. You can also enter the desired value using the keyboard.
3. When you arrive at the desired location, click to finish.

The following screenshot is an illustration of the previous steps:

And finally, the base point (highlighted as a square in the bottom face center point) can be used to pick and move the cone.

As shown in the previous screenshot, the first two sections of the Properties palette (General & 3D Visualization) contain the general properties that are present for any AutoCAD object, including Color, Layer, and Material. The section entitled Geometry contains the properties specific to the cone object, such as the Cartesian coordinates of the base point location that can be modified, as well as the cone dimensions (Base radius, Height) that can also be modified. In addition, there is an option called elliptical that has two settings (Yes or No). This option can be used to quickly convert the cone base from circular to elliptical, as shown in the example under the Creating Cylinders section.

There are a number of options associated with the Cone command. These options make provision for alternative methods in creating the cone. The first set of options appears in the command bar right after you start the command:

The first three options in this set are alternative methods to create the base circle, while the last option is for creating a cone with an elliptical base. The four options are identical to the first set of options in the Cylinder command. Please refer to the Creating Cylinders section for details of these four options.

We have learned how to quickly create a simple cone shape. Let's now look at the next primitive solid, which is the sphere.