Mastering AutoCAD 2016 and AutoCAD LT 2016: Autodesk Official Press

Introduction xxvii     Part 1 The Basics 1     Chapter 1 Exploring the Interface 3     Taking a Guided Tour 3     Launching AutoCAD 4     The AutoCAD Window 5     Using the Application Menu 7     Using the Ribbon 9     Picking Points in the Drawing Area 14     Using the UCS Icon 14     Working in the Command Window 15     Working with AutoCAD 15     Opening an Existing File 16     Getting a Closer Look 17     Saving a File as You Work 21     Making Changes 21     Working with Multiple Files 22     Adding a Predrawn Symbol with the Tool Palettes 26     The Bottom Line 28     Chapter 2 Creating Your First Drawing 29     Getting to Know the Home Tab   s Draw and Modify Panels 29     Starting Your First Drawing 32     Specifying Exact Distances with Coordinates 36     Specifying Polar Coordinates 38     Specifying Relative Cartesian Coordinates 39     Interpreting the Cursor Modes and Understanding Prompts 41     Understanding Cursor Modes 41     Choosing Command Options 43     Selecting Objects 48     Selecting Objects in AutoCAD 48     Providing Base Points 51     Using Noun/Verb Selection 54     Editing with Grips 59     Stretching Lines by Using Grips 60     Moving and Rotating with Grips 62     Understanding Dynamic Input 64     Displaying Data in a Text Window 69     Displaying the Properties of an Object 70     Getting Help 73     Using the InfoCenter 73     Finding Additional Sources of Help 74     The Bottom Line 75     Chapter 3 Setting Up and Using the Drafting Tools 77     Setting Up a Work Area 77     Specifying Units 78     Fine-Tuning the Measurement System 80     Setting Up the Drawing Limits 81     Looking at an Alternative to Limits 83     Understanding Scale Factors 83     Using Polar Tracking 84     Setting the Polar Tracking Angle 86     Exploring the Drawing Process 87     Locating an Object in Reference to Others 88     Getting a Closer Look 89     Modifying an Object 89     Planning and Laying Out a Drawing 93     Making a Preliminary Sketch 94     Using the Layout 96     Erasing the Layout Lines 102     Putting on the Finishing Touches 104     Aligning Objects by Using Object Snap Tracking 106     Using the AutoCAD Modes as Drafting Tools 111     Using Grid Mode as a Background Grid 111     Using Snap Modes 114     The Bottom Line 115     Chapter 4 Organizing Objects with Blocks and Groups 117     Creating and Using a Symbol 117     Understanding the Block Definition Dialog Box 120     Scaling and Rotating Blocks 125     Using an Existing Drawing as a Symbol 127     Modifying a Block 130     Unblocking and Redefining a Block 130     Saving a Block as a Drawing File 132     Replacing Existing Files with Blocks 132     Understanding the Write Block Dialog Box Options 134     Other Uses for Blocks 134     Understanding the Annotation Scale 135     Grouping Objects 138     Modifying Members of a Group 140     Ungrouping, Adding, and Subtracting from a Group 143     Working with the Object Grouping Dialog Box 144     Working with the AutoCAD LT Group Manager 146     The Bottom Line 147     Chapter 5 Keeping Track of Layers and Blocks 149     Organizing Information with Layers 149     Creating and Assigning Layers 150     Working on Layers 158     Controlling Layer Visibility 162     Finding the Layers You Want 163     Taming an Unwieldy List of Layers 164     Assigning Linetypes to Layers 171     Adding a Linetype to a Drawing 172     Controlling Lineweights 176     Keeping Track of Blocks and Layers 177     Getting a Text File List of Layers or Blocks 178     The Bottom Line 179     Part 2 Mastering Intermediate Skills 181     Chapter 6 Editing and Reusing Data to Work Efficiently 183     Creating and Using Templates 184     Creating a Template 184     Using a Template 185     Copying an Object Multiple Times 186     Making Circular Copies 186     Making Row and Column Copies 188     Fine-Tuning Your View 190     Finishing the Kitchenette 192     Array along a Path 193     Making Changes to an Associative Array 194     Developing Your Drawing 198     Importing Settings 198     Using Osnap Tracking to Place Objects 201     Finding an Exact Distance along a Curve 218     Changing the Length of Objects 220     Creating a New Drawing by Using Parts from Another Drawing 221     Eliminating Unused Blocks, Layers, Linetypes, Shapes, Styles, and More 222     The Bottom Line 224     Chapter 7 Mastering Viewing Tools, Hatches, and     External References 225     Assembling the Parts 225     Taking Control of the AutoCAD Display 229     Understanding Regeneration and Redrawing 229     Saving Views 230     Understanding the Frozen Layer Option 233     Using Hatch Patterns in Your Drawings 235     Placing a Hatch Pattern in a Specific Area 235     Adding Predefined Hatch Patterns 237     Positioning Hatch Patterns Accurately 239     Updating a Block from an External File 240     Changing the Hatch Area 242     Modifying a Hatch Pattern 243     Understanding the Boundary Hatch Options 245     Controlling Boundaries with the Boundaries Panel 246     Fine-Tuning the Boundary Behavior 246     Controlling Hatch Behavior with the Options Panel 247     Controlling Hatch Default Layer, Layout Scale, and ISO Line Weight 248     Using Additional Hatch Features 248     Using Gradient Shading 249     Tips for Using Hatch 251     Space Planning and Hatch Patterns 251     Using External References 255     Attaching a Drawing as an External Reference 255     Other Differences between External References and Blocks 259     Other External Reference Options 260     Clipping Xref Views and Improving Performance 262     Editing Xrefs in Place 265     Using the External Reference Tab 268     Adding and Removing Objects from Blocks and Xrefs 268     Understanding the Reference Edit Dialog Box Options 270     The Bottom Line 272     Chapter 8 Introducing Printing, Plotting, and Layouts 273     Plotting the Plan 273     Understanding the Plotter Settings 277     Paper Size 278     Drawing Orientation 278     Plot Area 279     Plot Scale 280     Shaded Viewport Options 283     Plot Offset 284     Plot Options 285     Exit Options 286     Plotting Using Layout Views 286     Setting Plot Scale in the Layout Viewports 289     Adding an Output Device 291     Editing a Plotter Configuration 293     Storing a Page Setup 295     Using Electronic Plots 299     Exporting to PDF through the Plot Dialog Box 299     Exporting to PDF through the Export To DWF/PDF Ribbon Panel 301     Exporting Autodesk DWF and DWFx Files 302     The Bottom Line 303     Chapter 9 Adding Text to Drawings 305     Preparing a Drawing for Text 305     Organizing Text by Styles 306     Getting Familiar with the Text and Annotation Scale Control Panels 308     Setting the Annotation Scale and Adding Text 308     Inserting Text 309     Exploring Text and Scale 311     Understanding the Text Style Dialog Box Options 313     Styles 313     Set Current/New/Delete 314     Font 314     Size 314     Effects 314     Exploring Text Formatting in AutoCAD 315     Adjusting the Text Height and Font 315     Understanding the Text Editor Tab 317     Adding Symbols and Special Characters 320     Setting Indents and Tabs 322     What Do the Fonts Look Like? 326     Adding Simple Single-Line Text Objects 328     Justifying Single-Line Text Objects 330     Using Special Characters with Single-Line Text Objects 332     Using the Check Spelling Feature 333     How Check Spelling Works 333     Choosing a Dictionary 334     Substituting Fonts 336     Finding and Replacing Text 337     The Bottom Line 341     Chapter 10 Using Fields and Tables 343     Using Fields to Associate Text with Drawing Properties 343     Adding Tables to Your Drawing 347     Creating a Table 347     Adding Cell Text 348     Adjusting Table Text Orientation and Location 350     Editing the Table Line Work 353     Adding Formulas to Cells 355     Using Formulas Directly in Cells 356     Using Other Math Operations 357     Importing and Exporting Tables 357     Importing a Table 357     Exporting Tables 360     Creating Table Styles 360     Adding or Modifying a Table Style 360     The Table Style Options 362     The Bottom Line 363     Chapter 11 Using Dimensions 365     Understanding the Components of a Dimension 366     Creating a Dimension Style 367     Setting Up the Primary Unit Style 369     Setting the Height for Dimension Text 370     Setting the Location and Orientation of Dimension Text 371     Choosing an Arrow Style and Setting the Dimension Scale 372     Setting Up Alternate Units 376     Setting the Current Dimension Style 377     Modifying a Dimension Style 377     Drawing Linear Dimensions 378     Understanding the Dimensions Panel 378     Placing Horizontal and Vertical Dimensions 379     Continuing a Dimension 380     Drawing Dimensions from a Common Base Extension Line 382     Adjusting the Distance between Dimensions 384     Editing Dimensions 385     Appending Data to Dimension Text 385     Using Grips to Make Minor Adjustments to Dimensions 387     Changing Style Settings of Individual Dimensions 388     Editing Dimensions and Other Objects Together 390     Associating Dimensions with Objects 393     Adding a String of Dimensions with a Single Operation 394     Adding or Removing the Alternate Dimensions 395     Dimensioning Nonorthogonal Objects 396     Dimensioning Nonorthogonal Linear Distances 396     Dimensioning Radii, Diameters, and Arcs 397     Skewing Dimension Lines 400     Using the Dimension Tool 401     Adding a Note with a Leader Arrow 405     Creating Multileader Styles 406     Editing Multileader Notes 409     Breaking a Dimension Line for a Leader 409     Applying Ordinate Dimensions 410     Adding Tolerance Notation 411     Inserting Tolerance and Datum Values 411     Adding Inspection Dimensions 413     The Bottom Line 414     Part 3 Mastering Advanced Skills 415     Chapter 12 Using Attributes 417     Creating Attributes 418     Adding Attributes to Blocks 418     Copying and Editing Attribute Definitions 421     Turning the Attribute Definitions into a Block 423     Inserting Blocks Containing Attributes 425     Editing Attributes 428     Editing Attribute Values One at a Time 428     Editing Attribute Text Formats and Properties 429     Making Global Changes to Attribute Values 431     Making Invisible Attributes Visible 432     Making Global Format and Property Changes to Attributes 433     Other Block Attribute Manager Options 434     Redefining Blocks Containing Attributes 435     Extracting and Exporting Attribute Information 436     Performing the Extraction 436     Extracting Attribute Data to an AutoCAD Table 441     The Bottom Line 443     Chapter 13 Copying Existing Drawings from Other Sources 445     Methods for Converting Paper Drawings to AutoCAD Files 445     Importing a Raster Image 446     Working with a Raster Image 448     Scaling a Raster Image 449     Controlling Object Visibility and Overlap with Raster Images 450     Adjusting Brightness, Contrast, and Fade 452     Clipping a Raster Image 453     Turning Off the Frame, Adjusting Overall Quality, and     Controlling Transparency 455     Working with PDF Files 457     Importing a PDF 457     Scaling and Osnaps with PDFs 459     Controlling the PDF Display 461     Coordinating Geographic Locations 463     Making Adjustments to the Map 466     Finding Measurements and Distances 467     The Bottom Line 469     Chapter 14 Advanced Editing and Organizing 471     Using External References 471     Preparing Existing Drawings for External Referencing 472     Assembling Xrefs to Build a Drawing 474     Updating Blocks in Xrefs 478     Importing Named Elements from Xrefs 480     Controlling the Xref Search Path 482     Managing Layers 483     Saving and Recalling Layer Settings 483     Other Tools for Managing Layers 487     Using Advanced Tools: Filter and Quick Select 489     Filtering Selections 489     Using Quick Select 493     Using the QuickCalc Calculator 496     Adding Foot and Inch Lengths and Finding the Sum of Angles 497     Converting Units with QuickCalc 499     Using QuickCalc to Find Points 501     Finding Fractional Distances between Two Points 504     Using QuickCalc While in the Middle of a Command 506     Storing Expressions and Values 507     Guidelines for Working with QuickCalc 509     The Bottom Line 512     Chapter 15 Laying Out Your Printer Output 513     Understanding Model Space and Paper Space 513     Switching from Model Space to Paper Space 514     Setting the Size of a Paper Space Layout 516     Creating New Paper Space Viewports 517     Reaching Inside Viewports 519     Working with Paper Space Viewports 520     Scaling Views in Paper Space 522     Setting Layers in Individual Viewports 524     Creating and Using Multiple Paper Space Layouts 527     Creating Odd-Shaped Viewports 528     Understanding Lineweights, Linetypes, and Dimensions in Paper Space 530     Controlling and Viewing Lineweights in Paper Space 530     The Lineweight Settings Dialog Box 533     Linetype Scales and Paper Space 533     Dimensioning in Paper Space Layouts 534     Other Uses for Paper Space 537     The Bottom Line 538     Chapter 16 Making    Smart    Drawings with Parametric Tools 539     Why Use Parametric Drawing Tools? 539     Connecting Objects with Geometric Constraints 541     Using AutoConstrain to Add Constraints Automatically 541     Editing a Drawing Containing Constraints 542     Using Other Geometric Constraints 545     Using Constraints in the Drawing Process 546     Controlling Sizes with Dimensional Constraints 547     Adding a Dimensional Constraint 547     Editing a Dimensional Constraint 549     Using Formulas to Control and Link Dimensions 551     Adding a Formula Parameter 552     Testing the Formula 553     Using Other Formulas 554     Editing the Constraint Options 555     Putting Constraints to Use 557     The Bottom Line 558     Chapter 17 Using Dynamic Blocks 559     Exploring the Block Editor 559     Opening the Block Editor 559     Editing a Block and Creating New Blocks 561     Creating a Dynamic Block 562     Adding a Parameter 563     Adding an Action 564     Adding an Increment Value 566     Editing Parameters and Actions 568     Keeping an Object Centered 568     Using Constraints in Dynamic Blocks 569     Adding a List of Predefined Options 574     Creating Multiple Shapes in One Block 578     Rotating Objects in Unison 582     Filling In a Space Automatically with Objects 586     Including Block Information with Data Extraction 588     The Bottom Line 590     Chapter 18 Drawing Curves 591     Introducing Polylines 591     Drawing a Polyline 591     Setting Polyline Options 593     Editing Polylines 594     Setting Pedit Options 598     Smoothing Polylines 598     Editing Vertices 600     Creating a Polyline Spline Curve 608     Using True Spline Curves 611     Drawing a True Spline 611     Understanding the Spline Options 613     Fine-Tuning Spline Curves 614     Marking Divisions on Curves 616     Dividing Objects into Segments of Equal Length 617     Dividing Objects into Specified Lengths 618     The Bottom Line 620     Chapter 19 Getting and Exchanging Data from Drawings 621     Finding the Area of Closed Boundaries 621     Finding the Area of an Object 621     Using Hatch Patterns to Find Areas 623     Adding and Subtracting Areas with the Area Command 624     Getting General Information 628     Determining the Drawing   s Status 628     Keeping Track of Time 630     Getting Information from System Variables 631     Keeping a Log of Your Activity 631     Capturing and Saving Text Data from the AutoCAD Text Window 633     Understanding the Command Window Context Menu 633     Storing Searchable Information in AutoCAD Files 634     Searching for AutoCAD Files 635     Recovering Corrupted Files 636     Using the DXF File Format to Exchange CAD Data with Other Programs 636     Exporting DXF Files 637     Opening or Importing DXF Files 638     Using AutoCAD Drawings in Page Layout Programs 639     Exporting Raster Files 639     Exporting Vector Files 644     Using OLE to Import Data 645     Editing OLE Links 648     Importing Worksheets as AutoCAD Tables 649     Understanding Options for Embedding Data 651     Using the Clipboard to Export AutoCAD Drawings 651     The Bottom Line 652     Part 4 3D Modeling and Imaging 653     Chapter 20 Creating 3D Drawings 655     Getting to Know the 3D Modeling Workspace 655     Drawing in 3D Using Solids 657     Adjusting Appearances 658     Creating a 3D Box 659     Editing 3D Solids with Grips 660     Constraining Motion with the Gizmo 661     Rotating Objects in 3D Using Dynamic UCS 662     Drawing on a 3D Object   s Surface 664     Pushing and Pulling Shapes from a Solid 666     Making Changes to Your Solid 668     Creating 3D Forms from 2D Shapes 670     Isolating Coordinates with Point Filters 675     Moving around Your Model 678     Finding Isometric and Orthogonal Views 678     Rotating Freely around Your Model 679     Changing Your View Direction 680     Using SteeringWheels 682     Changing Where You Are Looking 684     Flying through Your View 684     Changing from Perspective to Parallel Projection 685     Getting a Visual Effect 686     Using Visual Styles 686     Creating a Sketched Look with Visual Styles 687     In-Canvas Viewport Controls 690     Turning a 3D View into a 2D AutoCAD Drawing 690     Using the Point Cloud Feature 693     The Bottom Line 694     Chapter 21 Using Advanced 3D Features 695     Setting Up AutoCAD for This Chapter 695     Mastering the User Coordinate System 696     Defining a UCS 697     Saving a UCS 699     Working in a UCS 700     Building 3D Parts in Separate Files 701     Understanding the UCS Options 704     UCS Based on Object Orientation 704     UCS Based on Offset Orientation 706     UCS Rotated around an Axis 707     Orienting a UCS in the View Plane 709     Manipulating the UCS Icon 709     Saving a UCS with a View 710     Using Viewports to Aid in 3D Drawing 711     Using the Array Tools 715     Making Changes to an Associative Array 716     Creating Complex 3D Surfaces 717     Laying Out a 3D Form 717     Spherical and Cylindrical Coordinate Formats 718     Using a 3D Polyline 719     Creating a Curved 3D Surface 721     Converting the Surface into a Solid 725     Shaping the Solid 725     Finding the Interference between Two Solids 727     Creating Tubes with the Sweep Tool 730     Using Sweep to Create Complex Forms 731     Creating Spiral Forms 734     Creating Surface Models 737     Slicing a Solid with a Surface 739     Finding the Volume of a Cut 740     Understanding the Loft Command 742     Moving Objects in 3D Space 746     Aligning Objects in 3D Space 746     Moving an Object in 3D 747     Rotating an Object in 3D 749     The Bottom Line 750     Chapter 22 Editing and Visualizing 3D Solids 753     Understanding Solid Modeling 753     Creating Solid Forms 756     Joining Primitives 756     Cutting Portions Out of a Solid 758     Creating Complex Solids 760     Tapering an Extrusion 761     Sweeping a Shape on a Curved Path 762     Revolving a Polyline 763     Editing Solids 766     Splitting a Solid into Two Pieces 766     Rounding Corners with the Fillet Tool 767     Chamfering Corners with the Chamfer Tool 768     Using the Solid-Editing Tools 770     Streamlining the 2D Drawing Process 779     Drawing Standard Top, Front, and Right-Side Views 779     Creating 2D Drawings with the Base View Command 782     Adding Dimensions and Notes in a Layout 787     Using Visual Styles with a Viewport 788     Visualizing Solids 790     The Bottom Line 799     Chapter 23 Exploring 3D Mesh and Surface Modeling 801     Creating a Simple 3D Mesh 801     Creating a Mesh Primitive 802     Understanding the Parts of a Mesh 803     Smoothing a Mesh 804     Editing Faces and Edges 804     Stretching Faces 806     Moving an Edge 809     Adding More Faces 812     Rotating an Edge 814     Adding a Crease 816     Splitting and Extruding a Mesh Face 818     Creating Mesh Surfaces 821     Revolved Surface 821     Edge Surface 822     Ruled Surface 823     Tabulated Surface 824     Converting Meshes to Solids 825     Understanding 3D Surfaces 826     Editing Surfaces 828     Using Extrude, Surface Trim, and Surface Fillet 830     Using Surface Blend, Patch, and Offset 832     Understanding Associativity 836     Editing with Control Vertices 839     Editing with the CV Edit Bar 843     Making Holes in a Surface with the Project Geometry Panel 845     Visualizing Curvature: Understanding the Analysis Panel 846     The Bottom Line 848     Part 5 Customization and Integration 851     Chapter 24 Customizing Toolbars, Menus, Linetypes, and Hatch Patterns 853     Using Workspaces 853     Customizing the User Interface 855     Taking a Quick Customization Tour 855     Understanding the Customizations In All Files Panel 859     Getting the Overall View 862     Finding Commands in the Command List 864     Opening Preview, Button Image, and Shortcuts 864     Getting to the Core of Customization in the Properties Group 865     Creating Your Own Ribbon Panels and Menus 866     Customizing Ribbon Panel Tools 867     Creating Macros in Tools and Menus 871     Pausing for User Input 872     Opening an Expanded Text Box for the Macro Option 872     Editing Keyboard Shortcuts 873     Saving, Loading, and Unloading Your Customizations 876     Understanding the DIESEL Macro Language 878     Using DIESEL at the Command Line 879     Using DIESEL in a Custom Menu Macro 880     Using DIESEL as a Menu Bar Option Label 881     Using DIESEL and Fields to Generate Text 884     Creating Custom Linetypes 885     Viewing Available Linetypes 885     Creating a New Linetype 886     Understanding the Linetype Code 887     Creating Complex Linetypes 888     Creating Hatch Patterns 891     The Bottom Line 893     Chapter 25 Managing and Sharing Your Drawings 895     Sharing Drawings Online 895     Sharing Project Files with eTransmit 896     Protecting AutoCAD Drawing Files 900     Publishing Your Drawings 904     Exchanging Drawing Sets 904     Exploring Other Publish Options 907     Creating a DWF File by Using the Plot Dialog Box 909     Sharing Files with A360 Drive 911     Getting Started with A360 Drive 911     Sharing Files 913     Editing Drawings Online 915     Controlling File Access 916     Tracking File Versions 917     Collaborating with Others Using Design Feed 918     Adding Hyperlinks to Drawings 920     Creating Hyperlinks 920     Editing and Deleting Hyperlinks 922     Taking a Closer Look at the Hyperlink Options 922     Managing Your Drawings with DesignCenter and the Tool Palettes 923     Getting Familiar with DesignCenter 924     Opening and Inserting Files with DesignCenter 927     Finding and Extracting the Contents of a Drawing 928     Exchanging Data between Open Files 931     Loading Specific Files into DesignCenter 932     Customizing the Tool Palettes with DesignCenter 932     Searching Your Drawing Library with Content Explorer 936     Indexing Your Files 936     Searching Your Files 938     Controlling Content Explorer   s Display 939     Adding Network Resources 940     Establishing Office Standards 941     Establishing Layering and Text Conventions 941     Checking Office Standards 941     Converting Multiple Layer Settings 946     Exploring Other Layer Translator Options 948     The Bottom Line 949     Part 6 Appendixes 951     Appendix A The Bottom Line 953     Chapter 1: Exploring the Interface 953     Chapter 2: Creating Your First Drawing 954     Chapter 3: Setting Up and Using the Drafting Tools 955     Chapter 4: Organizing Objects with Blocks and Groups 955     Chapter 5: Keeping Track of Layers and Blocks 956     Chapter 6: Editing and Reusing Data to Work Efficiently 957     Chapter 7: Mastering Viewing Tools, Hatches, and External References 958     Chapter 8: Introducing Printing, Plotting, and Layouts 958     Chapter 9: Adding Text to Drawings 959     Chapter 10: Using Fields and Tables 960     Chapter 11: Using Dimensions 961     Chapter 12: Using Attributes 962     Chapter 13: Copying Existing Drawings from Other Sources 963     Chapter 14: Advanced Editing and Organizing 964     Chapter 15: Laying Out Your Printer Output 964     Chapter 16: Making    Smart    Drawings with Parametric Tools 965     Chapter 17: Using Dynamic Blocks 966     Chapter 18: Drawing Curves 967     Chapter 19: Getting and Exchanging Data from Drawings 969     Chapter 20: Creating 3D Drawings 970     Chapter 21: Using Advanced 3D Features 971     Chapter 22: Editing and Visualizing 3D Solids 972     Chapter 23: Exploring 3D Mesh and Surface Modeling 973     Chapter 24: Customizing Toolbars, Menus, Linetypes, and Hatch Patterns 974     Chapter 25: Managing and Sharing Your Drawings 975     Appendix B Installing and Setting Up AutoCAD 977     Before Installing AutoCAD 977     Proceeding with the Installation 977     Configuring AutoCAD 978     The Files Tab 978     The Display Tab 981     The Open And Save Tab 984     The Plot and Publish Tab 987     The System Tab 987     The User Preferences Tab 989     The Drafting Tab 992     The 3D Modeling Tab 994     The Selection Tab 998     The Profiles Tab 1000     The Online Tab 1001     Configuring the Tablet Menu Area 1002     Turning On the Noun/Verb Selection Method 1003     Turning On the Grips Feature 1004     Setting Up the Tracking Vector Feature 1004     Adjusting the AutoCAD 3D Graphics System 1004     Finding Folders that Contain AutoCAD Files 1005     Setting Up AutoCAD with a White Background 1005     Appendix C The Autodesk AutoCAD 2016 Certification 1007     Index 1015