Computer Aided Design_CAD_Lecture for students

COMPUTER AIDED DRAFTING
AND DATA ANALYSIS
CHAIR OF CAD AND GEO-INFORMATICS

Facts About AutoCAD:
AutoCAD is a CAD (Computer Aided Design or Computer Aided Drafting) software for 2D and 3D
design and drafting.
With AutoCAD you can:
Quickly create designs
Improved quality over hand drafting
Ca e usto ized to suit the i di idual s eeds
Teaches a marketable skill
Students are presented with a quiz so the instructors would know the
students’ level of knowledge on AutoCAD.
Professional cad
>For this exercise it is assumed that you have
taken a drafting class. You can interperate the
drawing in to a professional plan drawing.
>space A (bed room), B (shower), C (lobby) D(
living dining) and E( verandah).
Here you are expected to draw walls, doors,
windows, hatches, texts and dimensions
properly. ( use layers, line weights, colors etc.)
>finalize and bring elevation and section
drawings at the of the class.

Work Space
It is the drafting board of AutoCAD where all the drawing and drafting activities are
done.
Its also called Model space
Ni e thi g a out this la k portio is that it is i fi ite i size. That s h it eli i ate
the use of scales in our drawings (as opposed to limited space on papers or sheets)
What is professional working drawing ?(Discuss)
Professional cad

History AutoCAD:
In early days AutoCAD was used as a drafting tool. Through the years and many releases it
become a design tool design tool I o based environment - icons grouped in toolbars. AutoCAD
screen contains two parts: graphical screen and textual (command) line()
AutoCAD saves files in .DWG format but can import and export different formats (DXF, IGES)and
export different formats (DXF, IGES)
Model (2D) is made in a MODEL SPACE drawings are generated in DRAWING SPACE are
generated in DRAWING SPACE
What is professional working drawing ?(Discuss)
Professional cad
>a building project has different phases:
site visit, brain storming, sketching,
discussion, preliminary and working
drawing.
>the working drawing is meant for
construction purpose. Therefor the
document needs to be readable and
equipped with all the required
information.

History AutoCAD:
Model D is ade i a MODEL SPACE dra i gs are ge erated i DRAWING SPACE are
generated in DRAWING SPACE
What is professional working drawing ?(cont’d)
Professional cad
>ultimately drawings are made to provide information.
>and these information need to be presented in the most professional and legal
way.
>working drawings are meant not only for the architects and engineers but also
for every one working on the project.
>a working drawing usually contains: plans ( floor plans, roof plans, ceiling
plans), sections, details, elevations, exploded drawings, window-door schedual
etc.
>working drawings are used for contract agreements, therefor every line in the
drawing is accounted for.

History AutoCAD:
What are the important things we need while we are preparing working
drawing?
Professional cad
>planning
• There should be a coordination table where we control our work process.
• There should also be time scheduling since most projects are done with in a
limited time frame.
>consistency
• Information needs to be consistent between the different projects of the
drawing: plan, section, elevation, details, etc.
>check list
• We need to create a check list through which we will control errors from time
to time.

What are the important things we need while we are preparing working
drawing?(cont’d)
Professional cad (end of class I)
>documentation
• Proper documentation is mandatory when you are preparing a working
drawing. Files need to be named properly and saved or printed in an
organized fashion.
>present the students with their final projects. And describe the semester plan.
Menu
To launch AutoCAD commands
Similar to other windows applications

Start > All Programs > Autodesk > Auto Cad
Professional cad

AutoCAD : the big picture (Inter face)-AutoCAD in drafting and
annotation setting
Information center
View cube
Navigation bar
Model and
layout tabs Command line
Annotation tools
Ribbon/
Panel
Application button
Snap tools
Menu bar
Application bar Slide bar
Professional cad (beginning of class II)
Tool Bar
Gives us the ability to customize our interface according to our needs
It is the collection of icons where each of the icons represent a specific AutoCAD
command

Facts about AutoCAD: Tool Bar cont’d
Gives us convenient access to the commands we use most
Toolbars can be moved where ever the user wants it to be, so that to assist us in
drawings
Toolbars can be turned on or off
AutoCAD : the big picture (Inter face)-AutoCAD classic setting (from the
work space control you can shift between the different AutoCAD settings)
View cube
Tool bar
Model and
layout tabs Command line
Priorities panel
Application button
Menu bar
Application bar
Tool bar Tool pallets
Information center
Slide bar
Annotation tools
Snap tools
Professional cad

AutoCAD : the big picture (Inter face)
Classic menu bar :
> Most of the tabs on this bar are common to most software you already know. Exercise on
them and discuss.
Information center:
> Should you need any information about your AutoCAD software either from your directory
or from the internet , information center is the right place to seek for it.
Professional cad
Facts about Auto CAD
Command Line:
In command line everything must be entered through the keyboard
After launching a command through any means command line will prompt you
what next step should be taken to complete the command

The ribbon:
> The ribbon is displayed automatically when you create or open a file, providing a
compact palette of all of the tools necessary to create your file.
>Shift around the tabs of the ribbon and
learn the different panels.
>under the home tab we have: draw,
modify, layers, annotation, block,
properties, groups utilities and clip
board panels
>under the insert tab we have: block,
block definition, reference point cloud,
import, data, linking and extraction,
content panels
>under the annotate tab we have: test,
dimension, leaders, tables, markup,
annotation scaling and drawing view
Professional cad
Palettes:
A dialog box of features
They combine the functionality of a dialog box with the flexibility of a toolbar

The ribbon:
>under the parametric tab we have:
geometric, dimensional and manage
>under the view tab we have: navigate
2d, views, visual style, view port, pallets
and windows
>under the manage tab we have: action
recorder, customization, applications,
cad standards
>under the out put tab manage we
have: Plot, export to DWF/PDF, Auto
desk seek
Professional cad
Enter Commands:
By clicking Menu item
By clicking Toolbar icon
By typing in Command line

`
The ribbon:
Facts AutoCAD:
PAPER space
> It is an area used to plot (print) the drawing created in the model space
>It is actually a blank sheet in which a real object drawn in model space can be
represented as a printable drawing . Model space 1:1; Paper space ,any standard scale
>under the plug-ins tab we have:
explore and edit in fusion panels
>under the on line tab we have: up load,
content and share panels
>under the express tools tab we have:
blocks, text, modify, layout, draw,
dimension, tools and web panels
Professional cad

Quick access tool bar:
>Display frequently used tools with the Quick Access toolbar.
>The Quick Access toolbar displays options to undo and redo changes to your file. To
undo or redo a less recent change, click the drop-down button to the right of the Undo
and Redo buttons.
Facts AutoCAD: layers
A layer can be thought of as a large piece of clear plastic on which a part or whole
drawing is made
Layers are controlled by the layer properties manager button located on the object
properties toolbar
Professional cad

Application status bar:
> The application status bar displays the coordinate values of your cursor, drawing
tools, navigation tools, and tools for Quick View and annotation scaling.
You can view the drawing tool buttons as icons or text. You also can easily change the
settings of snap, polar, osnap, and otrack from the shortcut menus of these drawing
tools
Professional cad
Facts AutoCAD: Status Bar
Provides information about the current status of our drawing, interface and our
settings.
At status bar you can see coordinates (location) of the cursor in the model space.
The tab like buttons represents mode settings

AutoCAD : Interface
Know your way arrowed AutoCAD :
>Hide and redisplay the command line by doing one of the following:
1>Click Tools menu Command Line. 2>Press Ctrl+9
>right click on the ribbon>from the drop down list use show tabs and panels to turn on
and off components of the interface (this is only one of the several ways you can do so)
>in AutoCAD classic setting By default, the command window is docked. The docked
command window is the same width as the AutoCAD window. If text that is entered
becomes longer than the width of the command line, the window pops up in front of the
command line to show the full text of the line.
Undock, or float, the command window by dragging it away from the docking region.
The docking region is an edge of the AutoCAD application window that allows you to
dock a toolbar, palette, or the command window. You can move the floating command
window anywhere on the screen and resize its width and height with the pointing
device.
Dock a floating command window again by dragging it to the docking region of the
AutoCAD window.
Professional cad
Facts AutoCAD:
Snap and Grid
Snap – Invisible Grid that restricts the location of the cursor to predefined increments
Grid is a regular pattern of visible dots that helps you estimate distances

AutoCAD : Inter face
Customize interface :
Provides an interface for customizing
workspaces, toolbars, menus, ribbon
panels, shortcut menus, and other
user interface elements.
*When the Customize User Interface
Editor is displayed using the Customize
Commands option from the Tool
Palettes window or the Customize
option from the Quick Access toolbar
or a toolbar, the Customizations In
pane is collapsed and the Command
List pane is expanded.
Professional cad
Facts AutoCAD:
Object snap
A ti ated OSNAP utto
Allo s ou to s ap to ke poi ts o e isti g li es a d o je ts
i.e. idpoi t, e dpoi t, e ter, ta ge t et …

AutoCAD : Inter face
>Displays a tree structure of user interface elements that can be customized, such as
workspaces, toolbars, menus, ribbon panels, partial CUIx files, and so on.
>To open the customize user interface:
Go to the ribbon under the manage tab>go to the customize panel>click on user
interface
>List box Displays a list of CUIx files that are loaded and an Open option.
>Available Customizations In toolbar Contains Load Partial Customization File and
Save All Current
>Customization Files buttons.
Load Partial Customization File Loads a CUIx file that you can add to the acad.cuix file.
>Save All Current Customization Files Saves changes to all loaded CUIx files.
>Tree View Displays the current customization file in a structured view so you can add
and modify the user interface elements.
Professional cad
Facts AutoCAD: Options and setting
AutoCAD is a very flexible application
You can change the name of the toolbars, menus, palettes, and even shortcuts of our own
choice can be activated.
The popup menu that comes up with the right click can also be customized.

AutoCAD : Interface
Class exercise: practice on changing/customizing some of the components of the
interface (discuss)
Professional cad
Facts AutoCAD: Help
The nice feature of AutoCAD help is that it is CONTEXT SENSITIVE.
Context sensitive means that you can get help for a command that you are currently using.
Also a little question mark icon on dialog boxes can be used to know about help feature

AutoCAD : working with AutoCAD
How to open document :
>To open a document >application>open >the desired
file
>use the open document list to view the currently
open documents
>To create a new document >application>new>select a
template from the window that pops
>discuss the open documents and recent documents
command
Professional cad

>The right click : while we are beginner users of auto cad, right click in the
working area is usually our important helper
>You can display different shortcut menus when you right-click different areas of the
screen.
>Shortcut menus typically include options to
• Repeat the last command entered
• Cancel the current command
• Display a list of recent user input
• Cut, copy, and paste from the Clipboard
• Select a different command option
• Display a dialog box, such as Options or Customize
• Undo the last command entered
• You can customize right-click behavior to be time-sensitive, so that a quick right-
click acts the same as pressing Enter, and a longer right-click displays a shortcut
menu.
Professional cad

>The right click : while we are beginner users of auto cad, right click in the
working area is usually our important helper
>the key board short cuts: but since we need to become efficient users of the
soft ware you are always recommended to study the keyboard shortcuts
>as almost all keyboard short cut in AutoCAD are words that start with an initial of the
command we want to commit, it is easy to remember the keyboard short cuts. For
example if you want to initiate a command for drawing line you type ‘L’ in the
command line.
>see the list of the keyboard short cut on the next page.
Professional cad

>the key board short cuts: since one needs to become efficient users of the
soft ware you are always recommended to study the keyboard shortcuts
Professional cad

>now it is time to revise the tabs on the ribbon( if your setting is drafting and
annotation) or the tool bars (if your setting is AutoCAD classical). This time
you should work on them with exercises
>study the view tab (navigate 2d, views, visual style, view port, pallets and windows)
it will help to navigate around the working area.
>under the home tab we have: draw, modify, layers, annotation, block, properties,
groups utilities and clip board panels
Layer: isolate, freeze, turn on and off, name and rename …
This tab is very important to create an organized drawing. If a drawing is implemented
with out layers, it is very hard to control the drawing while making it and editing it for
future use.
>create layers
>how to name and rename layers appropriately
>how to isolate, freeze… layers
Practice and discuss
Professional cad

>UCS ( User Coordinate System )
This tool will show the orientation of the object on drawing window. The coordinate
system in 3D is base on X,Y,Z axis. Simple in words, if you draw in 2D you only need
X,Y axis and if you draw in 3D you need X,Y and Z axis. Z is for object depth. UCS is
show on the left bottom of drawing window
DRAW: Line, poly line, circle, ellipse, hatch, etc.
In order to draw this elements you have to press the buttons that bear their symbols
or know how to use the command line and keyboard shortcut. But always you have
to read the information on the command line.
Most importantly it is good to know that usage of the command line is similar for
almost all command we want to commit
*study the snap commands on the application bar while you study the draw panel.
Professional cad

Eg. To draw line:
To make the command line ready to use press the esc key on your key board
>Type ‘L’ in the command line and press the enter key on your keyboard.
>you will be asked to specify the first point.
>type x,y ( x can be any number representing the x and y any number representing
the y coordinate of the first point respectively). After you typed the x and y value to
your convenience, press the enter key on your keyboard.
>you will be asked to specify the second point of the line and you enter the x and y
value of the point.
>or after you specify the first point you can point your curser on the direction you want
to draw your line and just type the amount of length you want to draw the line for and
press enter.
practice on making different hatches properties:
solid, pattern, gradient, etc.
Professional cad

Hatch scale, hatch boundary, etc.
Modify: move, copy, rotate…
*the objects you created on the working area by making use of the draw tab or any
other can be modified by the commands in the modify tab. Practice and discuss.
It is time for exercises: draw a gear or any other drawing provided by the teacher
Annotation (panel) :Text, leader, dimension etc.
Annotate(tab) : text, dimensions, leaders, tables etc.
Under this tab we will get a chance to describe
our project by labeling them with texts. Measuring
them with dimensions etc.
Discuss and practice
.
Professional cad

Blocks: insert, create, edit …
Objects we use in our projects are not always simply lines, circles or rectangles. We
also insert blocks that are pre made and saved on our computer or other directories.
Blocks are complex objects made of combination of lines, circles, texts, attributes, etc
that are blocked to make one object. Sometimes blocks are made out of combinations
of other blocks.
Properties: color, line weight, line type etc.
This information can also be implemented while layers are prepared.
This is where we can give our project elements different properties like line type, line
weight, color etc. in order to distinguish our project in to a specific standard during
presentation.
.
Professional cad

End of revision
*present the students with their final project.
Professional cad( end of class II)

>Since now you know your way around AutoCAD . It is time for you to learn how to
prepare your own template. And start to prepare lay out for plotting.
>you are going to be learning more about professional drafting in the coming
semesters. For this class we are only going to introduce how to prepare custom
templates.
A drafting project:
• A drawing contains different texts for different purposes, such as title, room name,
floor finish, etc. all this texts are going to have different text size.
• Texts and dimensions in different scaled drawings have different size.
• other properties like line weight, hatch thickness (scale), etc. have different values
for different scales.
>a drafting project needs to be controlled and organized other wise one will face a
very devastating consequence
>Preparation of a template is one way of controlling your work. The idea is to prepare
a file that will guide your work flow or principle in order to prevent the problems
mentioned above.
Professional cad (beginning of class III)

Things to look out for while preparing a working drawing:
Information that occur with in a working drawing
Before preparing your custom templates you should prepare a table that shows what
you are going to implement while preparing your template. Let us call it a
‘coordination table’.
The table can have many rows and columns but the first columns should better
contain the scale information. While preparing a working drawing every component of
the project is subjected to the scale it is going to be printed.
A working drawing is prepared on appropriate scales only. The appropriate scales are
usually 1:1, 1:5, 1:10, 1:15, 1:50, 1:100, 1:200, 1:250, 1:500, etc. There for one can
easily understand that it is better to organize the elements of the drawing around
these scales.
Professional cad

Information that occur with in a working drawing (put them all in your table according
to their respective order)
The coordination table:
The three dots indicate the rest of the elements you will be needing.
Professional cad

Information that occur with in a working drawing (put them all in your
table according to their respective order)
In the table text sizes in smaller scales such us 1:500 are bigger that text heights in
bigger scales like 1:50. there for according to all scale one should prepare a scale
factor to breakdown all the needed text sizes for every scale.
One should also bear in mind that all texts in one drawing do not have the same size.
Text size for room name is bigger that for floor finishing.
Line weight in bigger scales should be ticker than the ones in smaller scales. Perhaps
one should find a scale factor to do so.
Professional cad

Information that occur with in a working drawing (put them all in your
table according to their respective order)
when we finish feeling out our table, we can proceed preparing our custom template.
The purpose of the custom template is to make the information in our table be readily
available in the working area.
A template is saved in .dwt format in your directory so that you will always use it
when ever you start a project. Remember not to over write it.
Professional cad

Custom template :
>these are the different steps require to prepare a custom
template:
>file>new>(from the pop up window)acad>format(from
the menu bar)>units(from the drop down list)>the window
on the right side is the resulting pop up:
>change the precision to a decimal point that is
appropriate for you. And change the unit of measurement
to your convenience and click ok.
>view(menu bar)> display(dropdown list)> UCS Icon >at
this point the UCS Icon will be turned off from the model
space. We did this in order to limit our model space to our
requirement
>type limits>type x1,y1 (left side corner)> and x2,y2 for
the right side corner (this step will let you limit your
working space to your convenience)
Professional cad

Custom template (cont’d)
> Go to lay out>Right click on layout>modify> page set up
manager>change values for plotter, paper size, make the
scale 1:1, adjust your paper orientation>ok>close>go
back to model space> layer properties(from the ribbon
home tab)>here create all the layers you need for your
drawing that and adjust all the properties of the layers to
your convenience>close>type ‘st’ ( for text style)>on the
resulting pop up window adjust the text size and font>
apply>go to status bar and select all the snaps that you
believe are appropriate for your project> go back to lay
out and draw your title block> type ‘vports’>from the pop
up window that appears select the type of view port you
want>ok> place the port you selected on title block you
prepared>practice activating and deactivating your ports
by double clicking inside and outside your port….
Professional cad

Custom template (cont’d)
>You can go back and make some final changes that you want to add to the template
you are preparing>file>save as>select the directory you prefer>save it with .dwt
extension.
The template file you just saved will always be there for you to use and will guide your
work process.
>for your final project use your template.
• Class exercise e finalize your coordination table and your custom template, show
them to your instructor for evaluation.
Professional cad (end of class III)

Attributes
What are attributes ?
(discuss)
>type att in the command line as shown in the picture
>fill the attribute definition table that popes up according to your specification and click ok.
Your ursor ill e sho holdi g the left justifi atio of the ord NAME .
Professional cad (beginning of of class IV)

Attributes
>fill the attribute definition table according to
your specification and click ok. Your cursor will be
shown holding the left justification of the word
NAME .
>and you can insert it in your drawing according
to your convenience
>repeat the above procedure for floor area ,
floor fi ish and le el
Professional cad

Attributes
>The picture shows the outcome. Select all the
information shown in the picture and make a block
named, room tag
>click ok and the outcome will be inserted in your
drawing automatically
Professional cad

Attributes
>The outcome should look like the information
shown in the picture. Copy the information to all
the rooms on your floor plan. And double click on
the individual copies to fill the information
needed to describe the room (space) as shown on
the picture on the next page
Professional cad

Attributes
Professional cad

Attributes
>it is possible to extract information from the entire attributes in the working
drawing and make an excel document automatically.
This is how you can extract data from a drawing with an attribute.
>save the drawing you are working on
>go to the ribbon insert tab>go to linking and extraction panel>click extract data
>the data extraction window will pop up>click next
Professional cad

Attributes
>the save data extraction as window will pop
up(you select a location and name)>click
save>the data extraction window will pop>click
next> and another data extraction will pop
>deactivate the objects you do not recognize
from you attribute click >next>from the popup
window deactivate again the names that do not
match you attribute >click next>from this pop
up you can select the link external data button
if you have an external excel spread sheet you
want to link you extraction > click next>
Professional cad

Attributes
>here the choose out put extraction window
ill pop> a ti ate oth i sert data e tra tio
ta le a d e ter al data i e el for at >sele t
a location for the excel file > click next>table
style window will pop(change setting to your
convenience> click next>the final window will
pop>click finish>your cursor will be in AutoCAD
model area holding the extracted table. Insert
the table. Go to the location you selected for
the excel file and open it.
Professional cad

Attributes
Class exercise:
>draw a portion of your semester project plan and tag the floor plan for floor
finish, room name , door labeling, etc. And extract the information both to your
AutoCAD drawing and external excel file.
>make time and practice on how to link an existing excel spread sheet to your
AutoCAD extraction table.
Professional cad(end of class IV)

Layer
>beginners usually name the layers in
their project arbitrarily. Students are not
used to the professional environment
where documents are prepared for
different disciplines like: architectural,
structural, electrical, sanitary and
mechanical.
>The picture shows layer names of a
drawing containing architectural and
sanitary information.
Professional cad(beginning of class V)

Layer
>The layer names shown on the picture
are not proper as the layers for
architectural are mixed with the sanitary
layers creating difficulty for further use.
>There for students need to learn how to
organize their layer names.
>There for the students are introduced
to the following layer structure.
_XX_XX
>00_AR_XX such layer naming structure
for instance has three components:
Professional cad

Attributes
>The first part 00 makes the layers to be located on top of other undesired
layers
>The second part AR indicates the category of the layer, in this case architectural.
If El , it mean electrical. If SN , it means sanitary
The third part XX indicates the name of the specific layer.
See the picture.
Class exercise prepare a proper layer naming for you r semester project remember
to coordinate with your drawing custom template and coordination table
Professional cad

External reference
What is external reference?
(discuss)
> prepare three disti t files a ed st , st , a d other file . File st a d st to
be made using the mother file as an external reference.
>make a change on the mother file and learn that the two files st1 and at2 are
automatically updated after saving the mother file.
Professional cad

Window door schedule
What is widow door she dual?
(Discuss)
>make a window door schedule with attributes for the portion of your semi store
project and show it to your instructor
Details
What are details?
(discuss)
>Make details for a portion of your semester project and show it to your instructor
Plotting
(discuss)
Professional cad

Professional cad(end of class V)
Command list

Computer Aided Design_CAD_Lecture for students

Computer Aided Design_CAD_Lecture for students

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