Computer Aided Drafting

or Engineering Drawing Using Computer

Dr. Majdi Alkhresheh College of Engineering Mutah University

Basic AutoCAD Interface

Basic AutoCAD Interface

Drop Down Menus You can call all commands from this bar

Basic AutoCAD Interface

Standard Tool Bar Contains ordinary Windows commands like new file, open files, save file, etc. in addition, it holds two AutoCAD commands: match properties, and block editor.

Basic AutoCAD Interface

Styles You can create and edit styles of text, dimension, and tables.

Basic AutoCAD Interface

Work Spaces This current space is AutoCAD Classic. You can modify and save workspace settings here.

Basic AutoCAD Interface

Layers Manages layers; such as creating new layers, switching layers on/off, freezing and locking layers, in addition to assigning colors, line type, line weight and plot style to layers.

Basic AutoCAD Interface

Properties Manages objects properties of color, line type, line weight, and

Basic AutoCAD Interface

Draw Holds drawing commands of creating: line, construction lines, poly line, rectangle, arc, circle, Spline, ellipse, blocks etc. See the command by moving your mouse over its icon and wait until you see a label of it.

Basic AutoCAD Interface

Modify Holds modifying or editing commands; these are used after an object is created, and you want to change it; like: erase, copy, mirror, offset, array, move, rotate, scale, stretch, trim, extend, etc..

Basic AutoCAD Interface

Drawing Area

Precision and ortho controls

Command line

Commands Formats
These lectures will use the following symbols:
M: Menus T: Tool bars C: Command line Each command will be explained first by indicating where to find it.

Draw: Line
M: Draw\line T : Draw\line C:L To draw a line any where in the screen, without specific dimension.
PC Prompt Specify first point Specify next point Specify next point Your Response Click any where in the drawing area Click any where in the drawing area Hit space bar once to end command

Draw: Line
M: Draw\line T : Draw\line C : L , then space bar To draw a horizontal line any where in the screen, with 30 units length
PC Prompt Specify first point Specify next point Specify next point Your Response Click any where in the drawing area Enter in the command line @30<0 then hit space bar; 30 is the length, 0 is the slope of the line. Hit space bar once to end command

While <0 means to go to the right of the first point , use <90 to go upward , 270 (or -90 ) to go downward , and 180 to go to the left . Use <45 to move a way from the first point in its first quadrant Use <- 45 move a way from the first point in the 2nd quadrant figure out the rest of them yourself.

Draw: Line
M: Draw\line T : Draw\line C : L , then space bar To draw a horizontal line, with 40 units length and known first point, say point x=20,y=20 (20,20)
PC Prompt Specify first point Specify next point Specify next point Your Response Enter in the command line 20,20 Enter in the command line @40<0 then hit space bar Hit space bar once to end command

Draw: Circle
M: Draw\circle T : Draw\Circle C : C , then space bar To draw a circle any where in screen with known radius R=10

PC Prompt Specify center point for circle Specify radius of circle

Your Response Click any where in the screen Type 10 , then space bar

Draw: Circle
M: Draw\circle T : Draw\Circle C : C , then space bar To draw a circle with known center (10,10) and radius R=12

PC Prompt Specify center point for circle Specify radius of circle

Your Response Type 10,10 Type 12 , then space bar

Modify: Erase
M: Modify\Erase T : Draw\Erase C : E , then space bar To Erase any object
PC Prompt Select object Select object Your Response Select object by clicking on it, then space bar Select next object to be erased, or space bar to terminate the command

Methods of selection: 1- by clicking (click on the line itself) 2- by crossing (open a window from right, this will select an object by crossing any of its parts) 3- by window (open a window from left to right, this will select an object only of it is entirely contained within the window) 4- All, if you want to select every thing in the screen

Draw: Circle
M: Draw\circle T : Draw\Circle C : C , then space bar To draw a circle with known center (10,10) and Diameter D=12
PC Prompt Specify center point for circle Specify radius of circle or diameter Specify diameter of circle Your Response Type 10,10 Type d , then space bar Type 12, then space bar

Precision: OSnap
You can make the program snap to object elements of: Endpoint, Midpoint, Center, Node, Quadrant, intersection, perpendicular, tangent, nearest, etc. You can switch on/off Osnap by clicking on its icon in the precision bar at the bottom of the screen.

You can right click the icon to open Osnap dialogue box to activate or deactivate the different Osnaps. When any Osnap is activated, you will notice that if you have an existing line for example, and when you bring your mouse closer to an edge of that line le, a little yellow square appears at the edge of the existing line indicating that if you click there, it will precisely start a new line from the edge.
PC Prompt Your Response

Draw: Circle
To draw a circle indicated by 3 points; say the heads of an existing triangle. First we need to draw three lines for the triangle. So initiate the command line, and follow the steps below.
PC Prompt
Specify first point Specify next point Specify next point Specify next point

Your Response
Type 10,10 Type @30<45 , then space bar Type @30<-45, then space bar Move closer to the first point until you see the Endpoint Osnap indicator then click once, then space bar to end the command. Or type c to close object.

Start a circle command

PC Prompt
Specify center point or [3P, 2 Specify first point on circle Specify second point Specify third point

Your Response
Type 3p to indicate method of drawing Select any head of the triangle using Osnap Select the second head f the triangle Select the third head.

Draw: Circle

Draw: Circle
To draw a circle indicated by ttr points; these can are tangent, tangent and radius, the tangents can be of existing two lines. Lets draw the lines first and then draw a circle with R=10. You are going to need to activate the tangent Osnap. To do that; right click the Osnap button at the bottom of the screen, and check tangent.
PC Prompt
Specify first point Specify next point Specify next point Specify next point

Your Response
Click any where in the screen Type @40<45 , then space bar Type @40<-90, then space bar Space bar

Start a circle command

PC Prompt
Specify center point or [3P, 2 Specify tangent point on 1st.. Specify tangent point on 2nd .. Specify raduis of circle

Your Response
Type T to indicate method of drawing Select tangent on the first line Select tangent on the second line 10, then space bar

Draw: Circle

Zoom and pan

You Zoom in/out in real time, zoom to the extent of the drawing, zoom windows, zoom dynamic, and so on using the zoom commands that can be reached through: 1. Using the mouse wheel: forward to zoom in, backward to zoom out, press the wheel to pan. 2. View\zoom\.... 3. Using the zoom tool bar . To get it; right click any icon in the interface, then check zoom.
These belong to the standard tool bar

Move the mouse over any of the icons and wait to see the displayed tag indicating the type of zoom. 1- Zoom window: zooms to a portion of the drawing you decide it by dragging a rectangle 2- Zoom extents: zooms to include all the drawing(s) in the scene. 3- Zoom real time: zooms in and out while you see it. This one is in the standard tool bar, not in the zoom tool bar. When you are in the zoom mode, you can right click for more options including pan 4- Pan is also in the standard tool bar: you can also get it by typing P. Pan does not move the object itself, it lets you see portions of the drawing that the screen doesnt include them.