Introduction to AutoCAD
Ipek Gursel
gurselipek@hotmail.com
OUTLINE








Giving commands
Object snap
Zooming and panning
Drawing 2D shapes
Drawing 3D shapes
Editing
UCS
Assignment
How do we give a command?
 Command line
 Toolbars
(view/Toolbars)
 Drop-down menus
You can pick any one(s) that you are comfortable with.
What is OSNAP?
 Osnap (Object Snap) settings make it easier
to select a 2d object’s points





Endpoint
Midpoint
Perpendicular
Center
İntersection
 Osnap will be active when
AutoCAD is expecting you to
pick a point on the working area
 Type osnap on your
command window:
Zooming...
 You will need to zoom in and out while drawing
with AutoCAD. This doesnt change your objects
or UCS, only the way you see your working
space. This can be done in many ways:
1. Scroll bars
2. Typing z or zoom in your command window.
 All
 Center
 Dynamic
 Extents
 Previous
 Scale
 Window
Lets draw a LINE:
 remember that AutoCAD recognizes an
object by its coordinates. You will need two
given points to draw a line.
(x2,y2,z2)
(x1,y1,z1)
 You can start at a random point on your
WCS for your FIRST POINT, but you should
specify the coordinates of your SECOND
POINT.
Lets draw a LINE (1):
b
a
30
1. Give the command



Type “line” on the command window, OR
Click on the line icon on the Draw toolbar, OR
Select Line on the Draw menu

Click on a random point on your working area
(black space)
2. Specify the first point (a)
3. Specify the second point in relation to the
first point


@distance<degrees
@5<30
Lets draw a LINE (2):
a
1.
2.
3.
4.
7 units
b
Hit F8 (ortho on)
Give the command
Specify the first point
Specify the second point in relation to the
first point


Point the cursor to the left hand side. You will
see that the cursor snaps only to 0o-90o-180o270o
Type 7 and hit enter
Lets draw a LINE (3):
a
(4,8,11)
b
(5,22,13)
If we know the coordinates of the line we want
to draw, we can simply type them into the
command line. (However, this mostly is not
the case.)
1. Give the command
2. Specify the first point (4,8,11)
3. Specify the second point (5,11,23)
What else?
 Rectangle: two diagonal lines
(pick first point, select the second one
with relation to the first. @5<-33)
 Circle/Arc: center and radius
a
b
d
a
 Polygon: specify the number of
edges and length of a side
d
A small tip: you can use the EXPLODE command for the
tool to split the object into its components or lines
Editing…
 COPY
 ARRAY
 MOVE
 SCALE
 MIRROR
 STRETCH
More editing…
 OFFSET
 STRETCH
 ROTATE
 EXPLODE
 ERASE
Polyline (pline)
 The PLINE command creates a chain line
with multiple vertexes and straight or
circular segments between the vertexes
 Draw a closed shape with the pline
command:
 Then type PEDIT (polyline edit) on the
command line and see what you can do
with it:
Enter an option [Close/Join/Width/Edit
vertex/Fit/Spline/Decurve/Ltype gen/Undo]:
Try Width
and
Spline
Hatching
 Hatching is used to add shaded patterns to objects and
shapes within an Autocad drawing. Hatch patterns can
be used to indicate a material to be used, such as a
concrete hatch. Alternatively it could be used to make an
area of a drawing stand out.
 You will pick:




Pattern
Scale
Angle
points
Drawing SOLIDS
 Solids contain the “mass properties” of 3D
objects.
 You can use the Solids toolbar for readily
accessible objects
 Box
 Cylinder
 Wedge
 Torus
 Cone
 Sphere
 You can use the Boolean operations of more
complicated shapes.
 Union (join two solids)
 Subtract (carve out the second solid from the
first)
 Intersection (only the common area)
To increase the number of faces
 Tools > Options > Display tab >
We can create solids by extruding as well
 If you “extrude” a surface into the third
dimension, you simply add a thickness in
section. This basically is same as creating a
“solid” object
Extrude 5
units
5 units
Extrude -4
units
4 units
UCS and WCS
 The AutoCAD world is 3 dimensional. However, if we
want to draw a 2d object, such as a plan or a section,
we will use only 2 dimensions (x and y).
 WCS (world coordinate system) is the imaginary plane
that is parallel to the ground. It is the default coordinate
system.
 Modifications made to the World Coordinate System
(WCS) result in a User Coordinate System (UCS). It is
the plane that you work on. It enables the user to draw
3 dimensional objects.
 To create a new UCS, type ucs on the command window,
then say New and specify 3 points on your new UCS
plane.
Lets change the UCS





—Prompt: Command: Type ucs and press Enter.
—Prompt: Enter and option [New/Move/ orthoGraphic
/Prev/ Restore/Save/Del/ Apply/?/World] <World>: Type
in n for the New option and press Enter. —Prompt: Specify
origin of new UCS or [Zaxis/ 3point/ OBject/ Face/
View/X/Y/Z <0,0,0>: Type 3 to select the 3point option and
press Enter.
—Prompt: Specify a new origin point <0,0,0>:Use an Osnap
or coordinate to select the position for a new 0,0,0 point (this
selects the junction of the X, Y, and Z axes). NOTE: The
intersection Osnap will NOT work with solid models.
—Prompt: Specify point on positive portion of X-axis
<1.000,0.000,0.000>:Use an Osnap or coordinate to select
the direction of the desired X-axis. NOTE: The numbers inside the
brackets< > will not necessarily be the same as those shown in
this example.
—Prompt: Specify point on positive-y portion of the UCS XY
plane <1.000,0.000,0.000>: Use an Osnap or coordinate to
select the direction of the Y-axis. The UCS icon should change
position to indicate the new UCS orientation.
Homework Assignment
 Your perspective assignments are due next
week (March 16, 2006, 5pm)
 You will submit your *.dwg files by email.
(igursel@yeditepe.edu.tr)
 Late submission will be accepted subject to
a mark penalty of 20% per day, up to two
days. No late submission will be accepted
after March 18, 2006.
 You can email me with your questions, or
stop by my office anytime (A301)