Manual autocad 2010 english

AutoCAD®
2010 Tutorial
First Level: 2D Fundamentals
by
Randy H. Shih
Oregon Institute of Technology
Included:
A video presentation
of the tutorial exercises
MULTIMEDIA CD INSIDE: SDC
Schroff Development Corporation
www.schroff.com
PUBLICATIONS

Visit the following websites to learn more about this book:

AutoCAD®
2010 Tutorial: 2D Fundamentals 1-1
Chapter 1
AutoCAD Fundamentals
♦ Create and Save AutoCAD drawing files
♦ Use the AutoCAD visual reference
commands
♦ Draw, using the LINE and CIRCLE
commands
♦ Use the ERASE command
♦ Define Positions using the Basic Entry
methods
♦ Use the AutoCAD Pan Realtime option

1-2 AutoCAD®
2010 Tutorial: 2D Fundamentals
AutoCAD Certified Associate Examination Objectives Coverage
This table shows the pages on which the objectives of the Certified Associate Examination are covered in
Chapter 1.
Section 1: Introduction to AutoCAD
Precision...........................................................................1-4
Zoom Extent.....................................................................1-5
Drawing LIMITS ............................................................1-5
Status Bar.........................................................................1-10
GRID Display ..................................................................1-10, 1-11
PAN Realtime..................................................................1-20
Section 2: Creating Basic Drawings
Format..............................................................................1-4
Units Setup ......................................................................1-4
LINE command................................................................1-6
Coordinates ......................................................................1-7
Interactive Input method..................................................1-8
SNAP Option ...................................................................1-10
World space .....................................................................1-13
User coordinate system....................................................1-15
World coordinate system .................................................1-15
UCS icon Display ............................................................1-16
TTR, circle.......................................................................1-16
Relative Coordinate .........................................................1-17
Coordinate systems..........................................................1-17
Cartesian coordinate system ............................................1-17
Absolute coordinates........................................................1-17, 1-18
Positions, defining............................................................1-18
LINE, Close option..........................................................1-19
CIRCLE command...........................................................1-22
TTT, circle .......................................................................1-22
Section 3: Manipulating Objects
ERASE command ...........................................................1-13
Selection window.............................................................1-14
Certified
Associate
Reference
Guide

AutoCAD Fundamentals 1-3
Introduction
Learning to use a CAD system is similar to learning a new language. It is necessary to
begin with the basic alphabet and learn how to use it correctly and effectively through
practice. This will require learning some new concepts and skills as well as learning a
different vocabulary. Today, the majority of the Mechanical CAD systems are capable of
creating three-dimensional solid models. Nonetheless, all CAD systems create designs
using basic geometric entities and many of the constructions used in technical designs are
based upon two-dimensional planar geometry. The method and number of operations that
are required to accomplish the basic planar constructions are different from one system to
another.
In order to become effective and efficient in using a CAD system, we must learn to create
geometric entities quickly and accurately. In learning to use a CAD system, lines and
circles are the first two, and perhaps the most important two, geometric entities that one
should master the skills of creating and modifying. Straight lines and circles are used in
almost all technical designs. In examining the different types of planar geometric entities,
the importance of lines and circles becomes obvious. Triangles and polygons are planar
figures bounded by straight lines. Ellipses and splines can be constructed by connecting
arcs with different radii. As one gains some experience in creating lines and circles,
similar procedures can be applied to create other geometric entities. In this chapter, the
different ways of creating lines and circles in AutoCAD®
2010 are examined.
Starting Up AutoCAD®
2010
1. Select the AutoCAD 2010 option on the Program menu or select the
AutoCAD 2010 icon on the Desktop.
Once the program is loaded into memory, the AutoCAD®
2010 drawing
screen will appear on the screen.

1-4 AutoCAD®
Note that AutoCAD automatically assigns generic name, Drawing X, as new
drawings are created. In our example, AutoCAD opened the graphics window using
the default system units and assigned the drawing name Drawing1.
2. If necessary, click on the down-arrow in the Quick Access bar and select
Show Menu to display the AutoCAD Menu Bar. The Menu Bar provides
access to all AutoCAD commands.
AutoCAD Menu Bar

Drawing Units Setup
Every object we construct in a CAD system is measured in units. We should
determine the system of units within the CAD system before creating the first
geometric entities.
1. In the Menu Bar select:
[Format] [Units]
• The AutoCAD Menu Bar contains multiple pull-
down menus, where all of the AutoCAD commands
can be accessed. Note that many of the menu items
listed in the pull-down menus can also be accessed
through the Quick Access toolbar and/or Ribbon
panels.
2. Click on the Length Type
option to display the
different types of length
units available. Confirm the
Length Type is set to
Decimal.
3. On your own, examine the other settings that are available.
4. In the Drawing Units dialog box, set the Length Type to Decimal. This will
set the measurement to the default English units, inches.

1-6 AutoCAD®
5. Set the Precision to two digits
after the decimal point as shown
in the above figure.
6. Pick OK to exit the Drawing
Units dialog box.
Drawing Area Setup
Next, we will set up the Drawing Limits by entering a command in the
command prompt area. Setting the Drawing Limits controls the extents of the
display of the grid. It also serves as a visual reference that marks the working
area. It can also be used to prevent construction outside the grid limits and as a
plot option that defines an area to be plotted/printed. Note that this setting does
not limit the region for geometry construction.
1. In the Menu Bar select:
[Format] [Drawing Limits]
2. In the command prompt area, the message “Reset Model
Space Limits: Specify lower left corner or [On/Off]
0.00,0.00:” is displayed. Press the ENTER key once
to accept the default coordinates 0.00,0.00.
3. In the command prompt area, the message “Specify upper right corner
12.00,9.00:” is displayed. Press the ENTER key again to accept the default
coordinates 12.00,9.00.

4. On your own, move the graphic cursor near the upper-right comer inside the
drawing area and note that the drawing area is unchanged. (The Drawing
Limits command is used to set the drawing area, but the display will not be
adjusted until a display command is used.)
5. Inside the Menu Bar area select:
[View] [Zoom] [All]
The Zoom All command will adjust the
display so that all objects in the drawing are
displayed to be as large as possible. If no
objects are constructed, the Drawing Limits
are used to adjust the current viewport.
6. Move the graphic cursor near the upper-right
comer inside the drawing area and note that
the display area is updated.
Using the InfoCenter to get more information
• Prior to creating geometric objects, let’s examine the usage of the InfoCenter
option to obtain some help on the subject.
1. Type Draw lines in the InfoCenter input box to
search for any Draw lines related information.
2. Click Draw Geometric Objects in the
AutoCAD Help list as shown.
3. In the AutoCAD 2010 User’s Guide,
general information regarding the
construction of geometric objects is
described. Click Draw Linear
Objects to get more information on
how to construct Linear Objects.
4. On your own, click Draw Lines and then Line
to view the description of the AutoCAD Line
command.

1-8 AutoCAD®
Drawing lines with the LINE command
1. Move the graphics cursor to the first icon in the
Draw panel. This icon is the Line icon. Note
that a brief description of the Line command
appears next to the cursor.
2. Select the icon by clicking once with the left-
mouse-button, which will activate the Line
command.
3. In the command prompt area, near the bottom of the AutoCAD drawing
screen, the message “_line Specify first point:” is displayed. AutoCAD
expects us to identify the starting location of a straight line. Move the graphics
cursor inside the graphics window and watch the display of the coordinates of
the graphics cursor at the bottom of the AutoCAD drawing screen. The three
numbers represent the location of the cursor in the X, Y, and Z directions. We
can treat the graphics window as if it was a piece of paper and we are using
the graphics cursor as if it were a pencil with which to draw.
We will create a freehand sketch of a five-
point star using the Line command. Do not
be overly concerned with the actual size or
the accuracy of your freehand sketch. This
exercise is to give you a feel for the
AutoCAD®
2010 user interface.
5
3 2
1 4
Coordinates of the graphics
cursor.

4. We will start at a location about one-third
from the bottom of the graphics window.
Left-click once to position the starting
point of our first line. This will be point 1
of our sketch. Next move the cursor
upward and toward the right side of point
1. Notice the rubber-band line that follows
the graphics cursor in the graphics
window. Left-click again (point 2) and we
have created the first line of our sketch.
5. Move the cursor to the left of point 2 and
create a horizontal line about the same
length as the first line on the screen.
6. Repeat the above steps and complete
the freehand sketch by adding three
more lines (from point 3 to point 4,
point 4 to point 5, and then connect to
point 5 back to point 1).
7. Notice that the Line command remains activated even after
we connected the last segment of the line to the starting
point (point 1) of our sketch. Inside the graphics window,
click once with the right-mouse-button and a popup menu
appears on the screen.
8. Select Enter with the left-mouse-button to end the Line
command. (This is equivalent to hitting the [ENTER] key
on the keyboard.)
9. Move the cursor near point 2 and point 3, and estimate the
length of the horizontal line by watching the displayed
coordinates for each point.
5
3 2
1 4

1-10 AutoCAD®
Visual reference
The method we just used to create the freehand sketch is known as the interactive
method, where we use the cursor to specify locations on the screen. This method is
perhaps the fastest way to specify locations on the screen. However, it is rather difficult
to try to create a line of a specific length by watching the displayed coordinates. It would
be helpful to know what one inch or one meter looks like on the screen while we are
creating entities. AutoCAD®
2010 provides us with many tools to aid the construction of
our designs. For example, the GRID and SNAP options can be used to get a visual
reference as to the size of objects and learn to restrict the movement of the cursor to a set
increment on the screen.
The GRID and SNAP options can be turned ON or OFF through the Status Bar. The
Status Bar area is located at the bottom left of the AutoCAD drawing screen, next to the
cursor coordinates.
The first button in the Status Bar is the SNAP option and the second button is the GRID
DISPLAY option. Note that the buttons in the Status Bar area serve two functions: (1) the
status of the specific option, and (2) as toggle switches that can be used to turn these
special options ON and OFF. When the corresponding button is highlighted, the specific
option is turned ON. Using the buttons is a quick and easy way to make changes to these
drawing aid options. Another aspect of the buttons in the Status Bar is these options can
be switched on and off in the middle of another command.
Option Buttons

GRID ON
1. Left-click the GRID button in the Status Bar to turn ON the GRID DISPLAY
option. (Notice in the command prompt area, the message “Grid on” is
also displayed.)
2. Move the cursor inside the graphics window, and estimate the distance in
between the grid points by watching the coordinates display at the bottom of
the screen.
The GRID option creates a pattern of dots that extends over an area on the screen.
Using the grid is similar to placing a sheet of grid paper under a drawing. The grid
helps you align objects and visualize the distance between them. The grid is not
displayed in the plotted drawing. The default grid spacing, which means the distance
in between two dots on the screen, is 0.5 inches. We can see that the sketched
horizontal line in the sketch is about 5.5 inches long.

1-12 AutoCAD®
SNAP ON
1. Left-click the SNAP button in the Status Bar to turn ON the SNAP option.
2. Move the cursor inside the graphics window, and move the cursor diagonally
on the screen. Observe the movement of the cursor and watch the coordinates
display at the bottom of the screen.
The SNAP option controls an invisible rectangular grid that restricts cursor
movement to specified intervals. When SNAP mode is on, the screen cursor and
all input coordinates are snapped to the nearest point on the grid. The default snap
interval is 0.5 inches, and aligned to the grid points on the screen.
3. Click on the Line icon in the Draw toolbar. In the command
prompt area, the message “_line Specify first point:” is displayed.
4. On your own, create another sketch of the five-point star with the GRID and
SNAP options switched ON.
5. Use the right-mouse-button and select Enter in the popup
menu to end the Line command if you have not done so.

Using the ERASE command
One of the advantages of using a CAD system is the ability to remove entities without
leaving any marks. We will erase two of the lines using the Erase command.
1. Pick Erase in the Modify toolbar. (The
icon is a picture of an eraser at the end
of a pencil.) The message “Select
objects” is displayed in the command
prompt area and AutoCAD awaits us to
select the objects to erase.
2. Left-click the SNAP button on the Status Bar to turn OFF the SNAP option so
that we can more easily move the cursor on top of objects. We can toggle the
Status Bar options ON or OFF in the middle of another command.
3. Select any two lines on the screen; the selected lines are displayed as dashed
lines as shown in the figure below.
4. Right-mouse-click once to accept the selections. The selected two lines are
erased.

1-14 AutoCAD®
Repeat the last command
1. Inside the graphics window, click once with the right-mouse-
button to bring up the popup option menu.
2. Pick Repeat Erase, with the left-mouse-button, in the popup
menu to repeat the last command. Notice the other options
available in the popup menu.
AutoCAD®
2010 offers many options to accomplish the same
task. Throughout this text, we will emphasize the use of the
AutoCAD Heads-up DesignTM
interface, which means we
focus on the screen, not on the keyboard.
3. Move the cursor to a location that is above and toward the left side of the
entities on the screen. Left-mouse-click once to start a corner of a rubber-band
window.
4. Move the cursor toward the right and below the entities, and then left-mouse-
click to enclose all the entities inside the selection window. Notice all entities
that are inside the window are selected.
5. Inside the graphics window, right-mouse-click once to proceed with erasing
the selected entities.
On your own, create a free-hand sketch of your choice using the Line command.
Experiment with using the different commands we have discussed so far. Reset
the status buttons so that only the GRID DISPLAY option is turned ON as shown.
Second corner
First corner

The CAD Database and the User Coordinate System
Designs and drawings created in a CAD system are
usually defined and stored using sets of points in
what is called world space. In most CAD systems,
the world space is defined using a three-dimensional
Cartesian coordinate system. Three mutually
perpendicular axes, usually referred to as the X-, Y-,
and Z-axes, define this system. The intersection of
the three coordinate axes forms a point called the
origin. Any point in world space can then be defined
as the distance from the origin in the X-, Y- and Z-
directions. In most CAD systems, the directions of
the arrows shown on the axes identify the positive
sides of the coordinates.
A CAD file, which is the electronic version of the design, contains data that describe the
entities created in the CAD system. Information such as the coordinate values in world
space for all endpoints, center points, etc., along with the descriptions of the types of
entities are all stored in the file. Knowing that AutoCAD stores designs by keeping
coordinate data helps us understand the inputs required to create entities.
The icon near the bottom left corner of the default AutoCAD graphics window shows the
positive X-direction and positive Y-direction of the coordinate system that is active. In
AutoCAD, the coordinate system that is used to create entities is called the user
coordinate system (UCS). By default, the user coordinate system is aligned to the
world coordinate system (WCS). The world coordinate system is a coordinate system
used by AutoCAD as the basis for defining all objects and other coordinate systems
defined by the users. We can think of the origin of the world coordinate system as a
fixed point being used as a reference for all measurements. The default orientation of the
Z-axis can be considered as positive values in front of the monitor and negative values
inside the monitor.
3D UCS icon

1-16 AutoCAD®
Changing to the 2D UCS Icon Display
In AutoCAD®
2010, the UCS icon is displayed in various ways to help us
visualize the orientation of the drawing plane.
1. Click on the View tab to
switch to the view related
toolbar panels.
2. Select the UCS Icon,
Properties… icon.
3. In the UCS icon style section, switch to the 2D option as shown.
4. Click OK to accept the
settings.
Note the W symbol in the
UCS icon indicates the UCS
is aligned to the world
coordinate system.

Cartesian and Polar Coordinate Systems
In a two-dimensional space, a point can be represented using different coordinate
systems. The point can be located, using a Cartesian coordinate system, as X and Y units
away from the origin. The same point can also be located using the polar coordinate
system, as r and θ units away from the origin.
For planar geometry, the polar coordinate system is very useful for certain applications.
In the polar coordinate system, points are defined in terms of a radial distance, r, from the
origin and an angle θ between the direction of r and the positive X axis. The default
system for measuring angles in AutoCAD®
2010 defines positive angular values as
counter-clockwise from the positive X-axis.
Absolute and Relative Coordinates
• AutoCAD®
2010 also allows us to use absolute
and relative coordinates to quickly construct
objects. Absolute coordinate values are
measured from the current coordinate system's
origin point. Relative coordinate values are
specified in relation to previous coordinates.
Note that the coordinate display area can also be
used as a toggle switch; each left-mouse-click
will toggle the coordinate display on or off.
In AutoCAD®
2010, the absolute coordinates and the relative coordinates can be used in
conjunction with the Cartesian and polar coordinate systems. By default, AutoCAD
expects us to enter values in absolute Cartesian coordinates, distances measured from the
current coordinate system's origin point. We can switch to using the relative coordinates
by using the @ symbol. The @ symbol is used as the relative coordinates specifier,
which means that we can specify the position of a point in relation to the previous point.

1-18 AutoCAD®
Defining Positions
In AutoCAD, there are five methods for specifying the locations of points when we
create planar geometric entities.
Interactive method: Use the cursor to select on the screen.
Absolute coordinates (Format: X,Y): Type the X and Y coordinates to locate the
point on the current coordinate system relative to the origin.
Relative rectangular coordinates (Format: @X,Y): Type the X and Y
coordinates relative to the last point.
Relative polar coordinates (Format: @Distanceangle): Type a distance and
angle relative to the last point.
Direct Distance entry technique: Specify a second point by first moving the
cursor to indicate direction and then entering a distance.
The GuidePlate
We will next create a mechanical design using the different coordinate entry methods.
• Use the Erase command and erase all entities on the screen before proceeding to the
next section.

The rule for creating CAD designs and drawings is that they should be created at full
size using real-world units. The CAD database contains all the definitions of the
geometric entities and the design is considered as a virtual, full-sized object. Only
when a printer or plotter transfers the CAD design to paper is the design scaled to fit
on a sheet. The tedious task of determining a scale factor so that the design will fit on
a sheet of paper is taken care of by the CAD system. This allows the designers and
CAD operators to concentrate their attention on the more important issues – the
design.
1. Select the Line command icon in the Draw
toolbar. In the command prompt area, near the
bottom of the AutoCAD graphics window, the
message “_line Specify first point:” is
displayed. AutoCAD expects us to identify the
starting location of a straight line.
2. We will locate the starting point of our design
at the origin of the world coordinate system.
Command: _line Specify first point: 0,0
(Type 0,0 and press the [ENTER] key
once.)
3. We will create a horizontal line by entering the absolute coordinates of the
second point.
Specify next point or [Undo]: 5.5,0 [ENTER]
• Note that the line we created is aligned to the bottom edge of the drawing
window. Let us adjust the view of the line by using the Pan Realtime command.
(5.5,0)
(0,0)

1-20 AutoCAD®
4. Click on the Pan Realtime icon in the Quick Access toolbar panel at the
bottom of the main AutoCAD window. The icon is the picture of a hand with
four arrows.
The Pan command enables us to move the view to a different position. This
function acts as if you are using a video camera.
5. Move the cursor, which appears as a hand inside the graphics window, near
the center of the drawing window, then push down the left-mouse-button and
drag the display toward the right and top side until we can see the sketched
line. (Notice the scroll bars can also be used to adjust viewing of the display.)
6. Press the [Esc] key to exit the Pan command. Notice that AutoCAD goes
back to the Line command.
7. We will create a vertical line by using the relative rectangular coordinates
entry method, relative to the last point we specified:
Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: @0,2.5 [ENTER]
8. We can mix any of the entry methods in positioning the locations of the
endpoints. Move the cursor to the Status Bar area, and turn ON the GRID and
SNAP options.
9. Note the coordinates display area has changed to
show the length of the new line and its angle. Left-
click once on the coordinates display area to switch
to using the world coordinate system.
10. Create the next line by picking the location, world
coordinates (8,2.5), on the screen.

11. We will next use the relative polar coordinates entry method, relative to the
last point we specified:
Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: @390 [ENTER]
(Distance is 3 inches with an angle of 90 degrees.)
12. Using the relative rectangular
coordinates entry method to
create the next line, we can
imagine a reference coordinate
system aligned at the previous
point. Coordinates are measured
along the two reference axes.
Specify next point or [Close/Undo]:
@-1.5,1 [ENTER]
(-1.5 and 1 inches are measured
relative to the reference point.)
13. Move the cursor directly to the left of the
last point and use the direct distance entry
technique by entering 6.5 [ENTER].
14. For the last segment of the sketch, we can use the Close
option to connect back to the starting point. Inside the
graphics window, right-mouse-click and a popup menu
appears on the screen.
15. Select Close with the left-mouse-button to connect back to
the starting point and end the Line command.
Reference Coordinate System
aligned at the previous point

1-22 AutoCAD®
Creating Circles
• The menus and toolbars in AutoCAD®
2010 are designed to allow the CAD
operators to quickly activate the desired commands.
1. In the Draw toolbar, click on the little triangle next to the
circle icon. Note that the little triangle indicates additional
options are available.
2. In the option list, select: [Center, Diameter]
Notice the different options available under the circle submenu:
• Center, Radius: Draws a circle based on a center point and a radius.
• Center, Diameter: Draws a circle based on a center point and a diameter.
• 2 Points: Draws a circle based on two endpoints of the diameter.
• 3 Points: Draws a circle based on three points on the circumference.
• TTR–Tangent, Tangent, Radius: Draws a circle with a specified radius
tangent to two objects.
• TTT–Tangent, Tangent, Tangent: Draws a circle tangent to three objects.

3. In the command prompt area, the message “Specify center point for circle or
[3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]:” is displayed. AutoCAD expects us to identify
the location of a point or enter an option. We can use any of the four
coordinate entry methods to identify the desired location. We will enter the
world coordinates (2.5,3) as the center point for the first circle.
Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: 2.5,3 [ENTER]
4. In the command prompt area, the message “Specify diameter of circle:” is
displayed.
Specify diameter of circle: 2.5 [ENTER]
5. Inside the graphics window, right-mouse-
click to bring up the popup option menu.
6. Pick Repeat Center, Diameter with
the left-mouse-button in the popup menu
to repeat the last command.
7. Using the relative rectangular
coordinates entry method, relative to the
center-point coordinates of the first circle,
we specify the location as (2.5,2).
Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: @2.5,2 [ENTER]

1-24 AutoCAD®
8. In the command prompt area, the message “Specify Radius of circle: 2.50”
is displayed. The default option for the Circle command in AutoCAD is to
specify the radius and the last radius used is also displayed in brackets.
9. Inside the graphics window, right-mouse-click to bring up
the popup option menu and select Diameter as shown.
10. In the command prompt area, enter 1.5 as the diameter.
Specify Diameter of circle2.50: 1.5 [ENTER]
Saving the CAD Design
1. In The Menu Bar, select:
[File] [Save As]
[AutoCAD Drawing]
Note the command can
also be activated with
quick-key combination of
[Ctrl]+[Shift]+[S].

2. In the Save Drawing As dialog box, select the folder in which you want to
store the CAD file and enter GuidePlate in the File name box.
3. Click Save in the Save Drawing As dialog box to accept the selections and
save the file.
Exit AutoCAD 2010
To exit AutoCAD®
2010, select Exit
AutoCAD in the Menu Bar or type QUIT at
the command prompt. Note the command can
also be activated with quick-key combination
of [Ctrl]+[Q].
Enter GuidePlate
Select the folder
to store the file.

1-26 AutoCAD®
Review Questions: (Time: 20 minutes)
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using CAD systems to create
engineering drawings?
2. What is the default AutoCAD filename extension?
3. How do the GRID and SNAP options assist us in sketching?
4. List and describe the different coordinate entry methods available in AutoCAD?
5. When using the Line command, which option allows us to quickly create a line-
segment connecting back to the starting point?
6. List and describe the two types of coordinate systems commonly used for planar
geometry.
7. Which key do you use to quickly cancel a command?
8. When you use the Pan command, do the coordinates of objects get changed?
9. Find information on how to draw ellipses in AutoCAD through the InfoCenter and
create the following arc. If it is desired to position the center of the ellipse to a
specific location, which ellipse command is more suitable?
10. Find information on how to draw arcs in AutoCAD through the InfoCenter and create
the following arc. List and describe two methods to create arcs in AutoCAD.

Exercises: (All dimensions are in inches.) (Time: 60 minutes)
1.
2.

1-28 AutoCAD®
3.
4.

Manual autocad 2010 english

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