AutoCAD 2006 user's guide

Contents......Page 3
Find the Information You Need......Page 19
Install the Product......Page 20
Find Information in Help......Page 21
Use Searches......Page 23
Understand How Help Topics Are Organized......Page 25
Use the Up Arrow to Navigate Help Topics......Page 26
Show and Hide the Contents Pane......Page 27
Use Quick Help on the Info Palette......Page 28
Learn the Product......Page 29
Overview of Subscription Center......Page 31
Receive Product Updates and Announcements......Page 32
Overview of Communication Center......Page 33
Receive New Information Notifications......Page 35
View the Product Readme......Page 36
The User Interface......Page 37
Menus, Toolbars, and Tool Palettes......Page 39
Create and Use Tools from Objects and Images......Page 40
Create and Use Command Tools......Page 46
Change Tool Palette Settings......Page 47
Control Tool Properties......Page 49
Customize Tool Palettes......Page 53
Organize Tool Palettes......Page 56
Toolbars......Page 60
The Menu Bar......Page 62
Shortcut Menus......Page 63
The Object Snap Menu......Page 66
Create Your Own Menu and Toolbar Groups......Page 67
The Command Window......Page 69
Enter Commands on the Command Line......Page 70
Navigate and Edit Within the Command Window......Page 72
Switch Between Dialog Boxes and the Command Line......Page 74
Dock, Resize, and Hide the Command Window......Page 75
DesignCenter......Page 79
Understand the DesignCenter Window......Page 80
Access Content with DesignCenter......Page 82
Add Content with DesignCenter......Page 85
Overview of DesignCenter Online......Page 89
Retrieve Content from the Web......Page 92
Customize the Drawing Environment......Page 97
Set Interface Options......Page 98
Customize Startup......Page 102
Save and Restore Profiles......Page 105
Use Workspaces......Page 106
Pointing Devices......Page 111
Pointing Device Buttons......Page 112
Digitizing Tablets......Page 114
Start, Organize, and Save a Drawing......Page 117
Start a Drawing......Page 119
Start a Drawing from Scratch......Page 120
Use a Wizard to Start a Drawing......Page 122
Use a Template File to Start a Drawing......Page 123
Determine the Units of Measurement......Page 125
Set Linear Unit Conventions......Page 127
Set Angular Unit Conventions......Page 129
Add Identifying Information to Drawings......Page 130
Open or Save a Drawing......Page 133
Open a Drawing......Page 134
Open Part of a Large Drawing (Partial Load)......Page 135
Work with Multiple Open Drawings......Page 138
Save a Drawing......Page 139
Find a Drawing File......Page 142
Specify Search Paths, File Names, and File Locations......Page 143
Repair, Restore, or Recover Drawing Files......Page 145
Repair a Damaged Drawing File......Page 146
Create and Restore Backup Files......Page 148
Recover from a System Failure......Page 149
Maintain Standards in Drawings......Page 153
Overview of CAD Standards......Page 154
Define Standards......Page 156
Check Drawings for Standards Violations......Page 158
Translate Layer Names and Properties......Page 165
Convert Layers to Established Drawing Standards......Page 166
View Selected Drawing Layers......Page 167
Purge Unreferenced Layers......Page 168
Control the Drawing Views......Page 169
Change a View in Two Dimensions......Page 171
Magnify a View (Zoom)......Page 172
Pan and Zoom with the Aerial View Window......Page 176
Save and Restore Views......Page 179
Specify a 3D View......Page 183
Choose Preset 3D Views......Page 184
Define a 3D View with Coordinate Values or Angles......Page 185
Change to a View of the XY Plane......Page 187
Change a 3D View Dynamically......Page 188
Display a Perspective View......Page 190
Overview of 3D Orbit......Page 191
Set Lights and Materials (3D Orbit)......Page 192
Locate the Camera Position (3D Orbit)......Page 193
Use 3D Orbit Commands......Page 195
Adjust Clipping Planes (3D Orbit)......Page 203
Display Multiple Views in Model Space......Page 207
Set Model Space Viewports......Page 208
Select and Use the Current Viewport......Page 210
Save and Restore Model Tab Viewport Arrangements......Page 211
Choose a Work Process Before You Begin......Page 213
Create Single-View Drawings (Model Space)......Page 215
Draw, Scale, and Annotate in Model Space......Page 216
Create Multiple-View Drawing Layouts (Paper Space)......Page 221
Understand the Layout Process......Page 222
Work on the Model Tab......Page 223
Work on a Layout Tab......Page 224
Access Model Space from a Layout Viewport......Page 228
Create and Modify Layout Viewports......Page 231
Scale Views in Layout Viewports......Page 234
Freeze Specified Layers in a Layout Viewport......Page 236
Screen Objects in Layout Viewports......Page 240
Turn Layout Viewports On or Off......Page 241
Scale Linetypes in Layout Viewports......Page 242
Align Views in Layout Viewports......Page 243
Rotate Views in Layout Viewports......Page 246
Reuse Layouts and Layout Settings......Page 247
Work with Sheets in a Sheet Set......Page 251
Understand the Sheet Set Manager Interface......Page 252
Create a Sheet Set......Page 254
Organize a Sheet Set......Page 258
Create and Modify Sheets......Page 261
Include Information with Sheets and Sheet Sets......Page 268
Publish, Transmit, and Archive Sheet Sets......Page 271
Use Sheet Sets in a Team......Page 275
Create and Modify Objects......Page 279
Control the Properties of Objects......Page 281
Display and Change the Properties of Objects......Page 282
Copy Properties Between Objects......Page 285
Overview of Layers......Page 286
Use Layers to Manage Complexity......Page 287
Create and Name Layers......Page 290
Change Layer Settings and Layer Properties......Page 293
Filter and Sort the List of Layers......Page 296
Save and Restore Layer Settings......Page 301
Set the Current Color......Page 305
Change the Color of an Object......Page 307
Use Color Books......Page 309
Overview of Linetypes......Page 311
Load Linetypes......Page 312
Set the Current Linetype......Page 314
Change the Linetype of an Object......Page 315
Control Linetype Scale......Page 317
Display Linetypes on Short Segments and Polylines......Page 318
Overview of Lineweights......Page 319
Display Lineweights......Page 321
Set the Current Lineweight......Page 322
Change the Lineweight of an Object......Page 323
Control the Display of Polylines, Hatches, Gradient Fills, Lineweights, and Text......Page 324
Control How Overlapping Objects Are Displayed......Page 326
Use Precision Tools......Page 329
Overview of Coordinate Entry......Page 330
Enter Cartesian Coordinates......Page 332
Enter Polar Coordinates......Page 334
Enter 3D Cartesian Coordinates......Page 336
Enter Cylindrical Coordinates......Page 338
Enter Spherical Coordinates......Page 340
Control the User Coordinate System (UCS) in 2D......Page 341
Use World and User Coordinate Systems in 3D......Page 344
Control the User Coordinate System in 3D......Page 346
Assign User Coordinate System Orientations to Viewports......Page 349
Control the Display of the User Coordinate System Icon......Page 351
Use Dynamic Input......Page 353
Use Object Snaps......Page 359
Set Visual Aids for Object Snaps (AutoSnap)......Page 362
Override Object Snaps......Page 363
Adjust Grid and Grid Snap......Page 365
Use Orthogonal Locking (Ortho Mode)......Page 367
Use Polar Tracking and PolarSnap......Page 368
Lock an Angle for One Point (Angle)......Page 371
Combine Coordinate Values (Coordinate Filters)......Page 372
Track to Points on Objects (Object Snap Tracking)......Page 374
Offset from Temporary Reference Points......Page 377
Overview of Specifying Intervals on Objects......Page 378
Specify Measured Intervals on Objects......Page 379
Divide an Object into Equal Segments......Page 380
Obtain Distances, Angles, and Point Locations......Page 381
Obtain Area Information......Page 382
Overview of QuickCalc......Page 387
Access QuickCalc and Understand Its Behavior......Page 391
Enter, Evaluate, and Retrieve Expressions......Page 393
Convert Units of Measurement......Page 399
Create and Use Calculator Variables......Page 400
Use the Command Line Calculator......Page 404
Draw Geometric Objects......Page 407
Draw Lines......Page 408
Draw Polylines......Page 409
Draw Rectangles and Polygons......Page 413
Draw Multiple-Line Objects......Page 415
Draw Freehand Sketches......Page 418
Draw Arcs......Page 421
Draw Circles......Page 425
Draw Polyline Arcs......Page 427
Draw Donuts......Page 431
Draw Ellipses......Page 432
Draw Splines......Page 434
Draw Reference Points......Page 436
Draw Construction Lines (and Rays)......Page 437
Create and Combine Areas (Regions)......Page 439
Overview of 3D Objects......Page 442
Add 3D Thickness to Objects......Page 444
Create Wireframe Models......Page 445
Create Surfaces......Page 447
Create 3D Solids......Page 456
Create Revision Clouds......Page 465
Create and Use Blocks (Symbols)......Page 469
How Blocks Are Stored and Referenced......Page 470
Create Blocks Within a Drawing......Page 471
Create Block Libraries......Page 473
Create Drawing Files for Use as Blocks......Page 474
Use Tool Palettes to Organize Blocks......Page 476
Quick Start to Creating Dynamic Blocks......Page 477
Overview of Dynamic Blocks......Page 478
Overview of the Block Editor......Page 481
Use Block Authoring Palettes......Page 486
How Objects Are Displayed in the Block Editor......Page 488
Overview of Dynamic Block Elements......Page 492
Use Parameters in Dynamic Blocks......Page 494
Overview of Using Actions in Dynamic Blocks......Page 506
Use a Move Action in a Dynamic Block......Page 507
Use a Scale Action in a Dynamic Block......Page 510
Use a Stretch Action in a Dynamic Block......Page 512
Use a Polar Stretch Action in a Dynamic Block......Page 515
Use a Rotate Action in a Dynamic Block......Page 517
Use a Flip Action in a Dynamic Block......Page 520
Use an Array Action in a Dynamic Block......Page 521
Use a Lookup Action in a Dynamic Block......Page 524
Use Distance Multiplier and Angle Offset Action Overrides......Page 525
Use Parameter Sets......Page 526
Specify Grips for Dynamic Blocks......Page 528
Create Visibility States......Page 532
Overview of Using Lookup Tables to Assign Data to Dynamic Blocks......Page 539
Specify Values for Lookup Tables......Page 546
Overview of Specifying Custom Properties for Dynamic Blocks......Page 547
Specify Value Sets for Dynamic Blocks......Page 550
Allow Chained Actions for Dynamic Blocks......Page 554
Modify Dynamic Block Definitions......Page 556
Correct Errors in Dynamic Block Definitions......Page 558
Save a Block in the Block Editor......Page 559
Control the Color and Linetype Properties in Blocks......Page 560
Nest Blocks......Page 562
Insert Blocks......Page 563
Work with Dynamic Blocks in Drawings......Page 566
Overview of Block Attributes......Page 569
Define Block Attributes......Page 570
Extract Data from Block Attributes......Page 572
Extract Block Attribute Data (Advanced)......Page 573
Modify a Block Definition......Page 579
Modify Block Attributes......Page 581
Change the Color and Linetype in a Block......Page 586
Disassemble a Block Reference (Explode)......Page 588
Remove Block Definitions......Page 589
Change Existing Objects......Page 591
Select Objects Individually......Page 592
Select Multiple Objects......Page 593
Prevent Objects from Being Selected......Page 596
Filter Selection Sets......Page 597
Customize Object Selection......Page 600
Overview of Groups......Page 604
Create Groups......Page 605
Edit Groups......Page 606
Correct Mistakes......Page 608
Erase Objects......Page 610
Use Windows Cut, Copy, and Paste......Page 612
Move Objects......Page 614
Rotate Objects......Page 617
Align Objects......Page 620
Copy Objects......Page 621
Create an Array of Objects......Page 623
Offset an Object......Page 628
Mirror Objects......Page 631
Trim or Extend Objects......Page 633
Resize or Reshape Objects......Page 639
Create Fillets......Page 642
Create Chamfers......Page 647
Break and Join Objects......Page 652
Use Grips to Edit Objects......Page 654
Use Grip Modes......Page 655
Make Multiple Copies with Grips......Page 659
Modify Complex Objects......Page 663
Disassociate Compound Objects (Explode)......Page 664
Modify or Join Polylines......Page 665
Modify Splines......Page 668
Modify Multilines......Page 671
Overview of Modifying 3D Solids......Page 673
Fillet and Chamfer 3D Solids......Page 674
Section and Slice 3D Solids......Page 675
Overview of Modifying Faces on 3D Solids......Page 677
Extrude Faces on 3D Solids......Page 678
Move Faces on 3D Solids......Page 679
Rotate Faces on 3D Solids......Page 680
Offset Faces on 3D Solids......Page 681
Taper Faces on 3D Solids......Page 682
Copy Faces on 3D Solids......Page 683
Modify Edges of 3D Solids......Page 684
Imprint 3D Solids......Page 686
Shell 3D Solids......Page 687
Clean and Check 3D Solids......Page 688
Hatches, Notes, Tables, and Dimensions......Page 691
Hatches, Fills, and Wipeouts......Page 693
Overview of Hatch Patterns and Fills......Page 694
Overview of Hatch Boundaries......Page 699
Control the Hatching in Islands......Page 700
Define Hatch Boundaries in Large Drawings......Page 702
Create Unbounded Hatches......Page 703
Create Solid-Filled Areas......Page 704
Create Gradient-Filled Areas......Page 707
Use Predefined Hatch Patterns......Page 709
Create User-Defined Hatch Patterns......Page 710
Modify Hatches and Solid-Filled Areas......Page 711
Create a Blank Area to Cover Objects......Page 713
Notes and Labels......Page 715
Overview of Creating Text and Leaders......Page 716
Create Single-Line Text......Page 717
Create Multiline Text......Page 719
Overview of Multiline Text......Page 720
Justify Multiline Text......Page 723
Format Characters Within Multiline Text......Page 724
Create Lists in Multiline Text......Page 726
Indent Multiline Text and Use Tabs......Page 732
Specify the Line Spacing Within Multiline Text......Page 733
Create Stacked Characters Within Multiline Text......Page 735
Create a Leader Line......Page 738
Add Text to a Leader......Page 741
Import Text from External Files......Page 742
Insert Fields......Page 743
Update Fields......Page 748
Use Hyperlinks in Fields......Page 750
Overview of Text Styles......Page 751
Use TrueType Fonts......Page 753
Use Unicode and Big Fonts......Page 754
Substitute Fonts......Page 756
Set Text Height......Page 758
Set Text Obliquing Angle......Page 759
Change Text......Page 760
Change Single-Line Text......Page 761
Change Multiline Text......Page 762
Change Text with a Leader......Page 765
Change Text Scale and Justification......Page 766
Check Spelling......Page 767
Overview of Using an Alternate Text Editor......Page 769
Format Multiline Text in an Alternate Text Editor......Page 770
Tables......Page 775
Create and Modify Tables......Page 776
Work with Table Styles......Page 780
Add Text and Blocks to Tables......Page 783
Use Formulas in Table Cells......Page 787
Dimensions and Tolerances......Page 793
Overview of Dimensioning......Page 794
Parts of a Dimension......Page 795
Associative Dimensions......Page 796
Overview of Dimension Styles......Page 798
Compare Dimension Styles and Variables......Page 799
Control Dimension Lines......Page 801
Control Extension Lines......Page 802
Control Dimension Arrowheads......Page 805
Customize Arrowheads......Page 806
Fit Dimension Text Within Extension Lines......Page 807
Control the Location of Dimension Text......Page 810
Control the Appearance of Dimension Text......Page 814
Control the Display of Dimension Units......Page 816
Round Off Dimension Values......Page 819
Suppress Zeros in Dimensions......Page 820
Display Lateral Tolerances......Page 821
Set the Scale for Dimensions......Page 824
Overview of Creating Linear Dimensions......Page 826
Create Horizontal and Vertical Dimensions......Page 827
Create Aligned Dimensions......Page 828
Create Baseline and Continued Dimensions......Page 830
Create Rotated Dimensions......Page 831
Create Dimensions with Oblique Extension Lines......Page 832
Create Radial Dimensions......Page 833
Create Angular Dimensions......Page 837
Create Ordinate Dimensions......Page 839
Create Arc Length Dimensions......Page 841
Apply a New Dimension Style to Existing Dimensions......Page 842
Override a Dimension Style......Page 843
Modify Dimension Text......Page 845
Modify Dimension Geometry......Page 848
Change Dimension Associativity......Page 851
Overview of Geometric Tolerances......Page 853
Datum Reference Frames......Page 855
Composite Tolerances......Page 856
Plot and Publish Drawings......Page 859
Prepare Drawings for Plotting and Publishing......Page 861
Overview of Page Setup Settings......Page 862
Select a Printer or Plotter for a Layout......Page 864
Select a Paper Size for a Layout......Page 866
Set the Plot Area of a Layout......Page 869
Adjust the Plot Offset of a Layout......Page 870
Set the Plot Scale for a Layout......Page 872
Set the Lineweight Scale for a Layout......Page 873
Select a Plot Style Table for a Layout......Page 874
Set Shaded Viewport and Plot Options for a Layout......Page 876
Determine the Drawing Orientation of a Layout......Page 878
Import PCP or PC2 Settings into a Layout......Page 880
Create and Use Named Page Setups......Page 881
Use Named Page Setups with Sheet Sets......Page 885
Plot Drawings......Page 887
Overview of Plotting......Page 888
Use a Page Setup to Specify Plot Settings......Page 892
Select a Printer or Plotter......Page 893
Specify the Area to Plot......Page 894
Set Paper Size......Page 895
Position the Drawing on the Paper......Page 897
Set Drawing Orientation......Page 898
Set Plot Scale......Page 899
Set Shaded Viewport Options......Page 901
Specify Shaded Plotting Settings......Page 902
Specify a Resolution Level for Shaded Plotting......Page 903
Set Options for Plotted Objects......Page 904
Choose a Type of Plot Style Table......Page 908
Switch the Type of Plot Style Table......Page 909
Assign Plot Style Tables to Layouts......Page 911
Manage Plot Style Tables......Page 912
Use Named Plot Style Tables......Page 914
Use Named Plot Styles......Page 915
Manage Named Plot Styles......Page 917
Delete Color Mapping Tables......Page 919
Overview of Plot Style Settings......Page 920
Set Color, Screening, Grayscale, and Dither in Plot Style Tables......Page 921
Assign Pen Numbers and Virtual Pens in Plot Style Tables......Page 923
Control Plotted Lineweight and Linetype......Page 925
Assign Plotted Line End and Join Styles......Page 927
Assign Plotted Fill Styles......Page 928
Preview a Plot......Page 929
Plot DWF Files......Page 931
Plot to DXB File Formats......Page 932
Plot to Raster File Formats......Page 933
Plot Adobe PostScript Files......Page 934
Create Plot Files......Page 935
Publish Drawings......Page 937
Overview of Publishing......Page 938
Create and Modify a Drawing Set for Publishing......Page 941
Create a Paper or Plot File Drawing Set......Page 947
Publish an Electronic Drawing Set......Page 949
Publish a Sheet Set......Page 952
Republish a Drawing Set......Page 957
Set Publish Options......Page 958
3D DWF Publishing......Page 966
Overview of Creating or Modifying a DWF6 Configuration File......Page 968
Set the DWF File Resolution......Page 971
Set the DWF File Compression......Page 973
Set Font Handling for the DWF File......Page 974
Edit Pen Patterns for the DWF File......Page 976
Share Data Between Drawings and Applications......Page 979
Reference Other Drawing Files (Xrefs)......Page 981
Attach External References......Page 982
Nest and Overlay External References......Page 985
Update Attached External References......Page 987
Clip External References and Blocks......Page 988
Resolve Name Conflicts in External References......Page 991
Archive Drawings That Contain External References (Bind)......Page 992
Edit an Xref in a Separate Window......Page 994
Edit Selected Objects in Xrefs and Blocks......Page 995
Use the Working Set to Edit Xrefs and Blocks......Page 997
Save Back Edited Xrefs and Blocks......Page 999
Edit Xrefs and Blocks with Nesting, OLE, or Attributes......Page 1000
Set Paths to Externally Referenced Drawings......Page 1001
Resolve Missing External Reference Files......Page 1006
Track External Reference Operations (Log File)......Page 1008
Unload Xrefs......Page 1010
Work with Demand Loading......Page 1011
Work with Layer and Spatial Indexes......Page 1012
Set Paths for Temporary Xref File Copies......Page 1013
Link and Embed Data (OLE)......Page 1015
Overview of Object Linking and Embedding......Page 1016
Overview of Importing OLE Objects into Drawings......Page 1018
Link OLE Objects in Drawings......Page 1019
Embed OLE Objects in Drawings......Page 1021
Export OLE Objects from Drawings......Page 1022
Edit OLE Objects in Drawings......Page 1024
Glossary......Page 1027
Index......Page 1063