1 Introduction to AutoCAD

The term CAD (Computer Aided Design) applies to a wide range of programs
that allow th user to created drawings, plans, and designs electronically. AutoCAD is
one such program and it main claim to fame is that it is relatively easy to use, it is
very comprehensive in its ability to create 2D and some 3D drawings, and it is very
popular. Seventy percent of the CAD users in the world use AutoCAD.
I

Starting AutoCAD

You can start AutoCAD by either double clicking on the program Icon on the
desktop or by clicking on the program name in the Start menu.
The program will start and after a minute or so should display a screen similar
to the one shown below. The dialog box in the middle will aid you in getting started
at either creating a new drawing or continuing your work on a drawing that is not
finished.

A Icon

If you are continuing work on a drawing, click on the A icon in the extreme
upper left corner of the window and Open->Drawing. A Select File dialog box will
open allowing you to select the drawing file you want to open.
II

The Initial Screen

AutoCAD has a very versatile user interface that allows you to control the
program in several different ways. At the top of the window is a row of menus.
Clicking on the Home, Insert, or Annotate causes another selection of menus to
appear. This new selection of commands is frequently called a Ribbon or a
Dashboard. You can operate the program by clicking on the icons in these menus.
Another method of using the program is typing in the command names. This
is frequently faster than using drop down menus for frequently used commands
because you do not have to search for the correct menu or icon. You just type in the
command name. For the most part, we will use this approach in this series of
Introduction to AutoCAD R Greenlee

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tutorials. The commands that you type will appear at the bottom of the of the
AutoCAD window.
III

The LINE Command

Now that you have started AutoCAD and configured tool bars you want, you
are ready to start learning to use the program. We will start with relatively simple
commands and eventually, in later lessons, look at some of the more complex things
that AutoCAD can do. The first command we will look at drawing straight lines. At
the keyboard, type:
line

and press the ENTER key. You can use either upper or lower case when you type in
AutoCAD commands.
The program will respond with:
Specify First Point:

Each line has a beginning and ending point and the program wants you to
specify the beginning point of the line. You enter the beginning point by either typing
the point coordinates at the keyboard or by clicking the mouse on a location of the
screen where you want the line to begin. It is certainly much simpler to click with the
mouse than it is to type in coordinates but engineering drawings are drawn precisely
to scale and for the most part we will have to enter coordinates from the keyboard.
When you type a coordinate, enter the X or horizontal coordinate first
followed by a comma and the Y or vertical coordinate. You cannot enter a space
between the two coordinates. AutoCAD interprets a space as the ENTER key and
assumes that you have finished entering the coordinates.
For Example, you could type:
Specify First Point:

3.5,6

The 3.5 coordinate is the X or

horizontal coordinate and the 6 is the
vertical coordinate.
After you enter the
coordinates, press the enter key. The
enter key tells the program that you
have entered the first coordinate and
are ready to enter the coordinates for
the next which will be the end of the
line. The program responds by displaying:
To Point:

If you want a horizontal line that is 5 units long, you enter the coordinates
@5,0 which is shown below.
To Point:

@5,0

The @ sign tells the program

this coordinate is measured from the
last coordinate entered. In other
Introduction to AutoCAD R Greenlee

5.0

3.5,6

Line Drawn

8.5,6

Page |2

words, it says place the end if the line 5 units horizontally from the beginning point
and 0 units vertically. The line drawn is shown above.
Using the @ sign to specify relative coordinates is easier than specifying
absolute coordinates without the @ sign. The first point we drew had an absolute
coordinate of 3.5,6 and the second point had an absolute coordinate of 8.5,6 since it is
displaced 5 units horizontally from the first point.
We will continue with this to create the object shown on the right. It has lines,
an arc, and a circle. We have drawn the first and we will continue drawing the rest of
the lines.
As a shortcut, you can start the LINE command by typing L instead of the
entire word LINE. Many AutoCAD commands can be abbreviated to just the first
letter of the command.

IV
Continue Drawing the
Object
We can continue drawing the
object shown on the right by adding
more lines. If the line command is
still operating, press ENTER to end it.
We will start it again to draw the
remaining lines.
You can draw the remaining
lines by typing:
line
Specify First Point:
To
To
To
To

Point:
Point
Point
point

2.0

2.0

4.0
First Line
5.0

3.5,6

8.5,6

2.0

8.5,6

{these are the coordinates of the end

of the first line we drew}

@-2,2
@2,2
@-5,0
{Press ENTER without entering
coordinates. This will end the line
command}

When you have finished

entering all of the coordinates, you
should have the object shown on the
right.

3.5,10

4.0

Erasing Objects

AutoCAD calls lines, circles,

arcs and other things that you draw
objects. You can erase any of these
objects by typing the command:

First Line

3.5,6

5.0

2.0

8.5,6

ERASE

The program will respond with:

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Select Objects:

You select the objects (lines, arcs, circles, etc.) in several different ways. The
easiest way is to click on the object you want to erase. When you do, the object is
redrawn as a dashed line. This shows the object has been selected for deletion. Click
on all of the objects that you want to erase then press the ENTER key to terminate the
command and erase the objects.
AutoCAD commands frequently have command modifiers that change the
way the command works. For the ERASE command, you can type:
ERASE ALL

and AutoCAD selects all of the objects in the drawing for erasure. The word ALL
modifies the way command works.
Another option is:
ERASE W

The W stands for window which allows you to select the objects by drawing a
box around them. First click above and to the right of the objects that you want to
erase. When you do, the mouse pointer changes to an elastic box with one corner
fixed at the place where you clicked. Move the mouse until the box completely
covers the information you want selected and click the mouse button again. All of the
objects inside the box will be selected for erasure. Press the ENTER key to erase the
objects.
You can type E to start the ERASE command.

VI

Oops
If you make a mistake and erase something that you did not want to erase,

type:
OOPS

to undo the last erasure. OOPS always undoes the last erasure even though you have
continued with other commands since the objects were erased.

VII

Canceling a Command

If you start a command and do not want to complete it, you can press the Esc
key to cancel the command. For some commands, you may have to press the key
more than once. Keep pressing the Esc key until you see the Command: prompt at
the bottom of the screen.
VIII

Drawing Arcs

The ARC command is used to draw arcs. We can use this command to draw
the semicircle on the left side of the object. Enter:

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Arc
Specify start point of arc or [Center]:

3.5,10 {The end point

of the last line
we drew}
Specify second point of arc or [Center/End]: c
{Enter C to tell
the program we
want to enter
the center point
instead of the
end point of the
arc}
Specify center point of arc:
@0,-2 {The center of
the arc is 2
units below the
start point}
Specify end point of arc:
@0,-2 {The end of the
arc is 2 units
below the
center}

The completed arc is shown in

the drawing on the right. Unless
otherwise specified, AutoCAD will
draw arcs in a counterclockwise
(anticlockwise) direction.

3.5,10

2.0

4.0

Arc
First Line

IX

2.0

Drawing Circles
3.5,6

5.0

8.5,6

Circles are created with the

CIRCLE command. Type:
CIRCLE

at the command prompt and AutoCAD will respond with:

3P/2P/TTR/<Center point>:

There are several different ways you can define a circle. In the computer
response above, the words Center point are surrounded by angle brackets and this
shows you the program is expecting you to enter the coordinates of the center of the
circle. You can either type the coordinates or click with the mouse. The quantity in
angle brackets is always the default selection for a command. The letters
3P/2P/TTR/are options you can use to modify the input required to create a circle.
These options are:

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3P
2P
TTR

Define the circle with 3 non-collinear points.

Define the circle with points on either end of the circle diameter.
Define the circle by specifying two other objects that are tangent to
the circle and the radius of the circle.

We can complete the drawing by drawing a circle. The center of the circle is
two units vertically above the beginning point where we started the drawing. The
coordinates for the center of the circle are 3.5,8. The circle has a diameter of 2.0.
circle
Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr]: 3.5,8
Specify radius of circle or [Diameter]:
d
Specify diameter of circle:
2

The completed object is shown

in the figure on the right.

3.5,10

2.0

Circle
4.0
3.5,8

First Line

3.5,6

5.0

2.0

8.5,6

Program Help

If you need more information on the various

options for drawing an arc, park the mouse over the icon
and after a few seconds, a help message will pop up. The
help message will stay on the screen for as long as the
mouse is parked over the icon. If you want more help,
you can press the F1 key and AutoCAD will open a web
page where you can look up the command and read a
more in depth description of how it works.

Figure 1 Help message

produced when the mouse is
parked over the arc command.

XI

Undoing Mistakes

If you make a mistake with a command you can undo anything it has done by
typing U at the command prompt. The entire effects of the last thing you typed will
be undone and AutoCAD will return to the state it was in prior to the typing.
If you are inside a LINE or other command, you can enter U to undo the last
coordinates entered or the last option selected.
You can undo the last command by holding down the Ctrl key and pressing Z.
Each time you press Z, AutoCAD will remove the last command. If your press Z five
times, it will backup through the last five commands.

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XII

Zooming in on Detail

You enlarge or reduce the size of an object on the screen with the ZOOM
command. At the command prompt type:
ZOOM

and AutoCAD responds with:

[All/Center/Dynamic/Extents/Previous/Scale/Window/Object] <real
time>:
There are many options to the ZOOM command. Some of the more useful are:
All

Change the scale so that all of the drawing is shown in the window.

Previous

ZOOM to the previous view of the drawing.

Scale

Enter a scale factor in the form nX where n is a scaling factor and X is just
the letter X. A number larger than 1 makes the drawing appear larger and
a number smaller than 1 makes the drawing smaller. For example 2
makes the drawing twice as large as it currently is and .5 makes the
drawing half its current size.

Window

Allows you to draw a window around the area of the drawing you want to
see enlarged. The window is drawn by selecting opposite diagonal
corners with the mouse.

You can start the ZOOM command by just typing ZOOM or Z at the
command prompt.
A very easy to zoom in or out can be done with the mouse. Move the mouse
till it is near a location you want to remain on the screen. Roll the wheel between the
two mouse buttons forward to make the object larger and roll it backwards (towards
you) to make the object on the screen smaller.
If you zoom in to make the object larger, the object you want to see can zoom
off of the screen if you did not place your mouse close to it before you started
zooming. If it does scroll off of the screen, move your mouse over until it is as close
as you can get to the object, hold down on the wheel, and drag the screen over until
you can see the object you want to see. This operation is called PANNING.

XIII

Size of Drawing Area

The drawing area is as large as you need it to be. The usable drawing area
does not just consist of the area that you can see. You can pan around the drawing
area to reveal areas of your drawing that are out of view. You can also ZOOM in and
out to reveal more or less of the drawing area. Because the drawing area is so large, it
is a good idea to indicate the region that you wish to use. This is your drawing size or
limits. This is usually the area that will be printed. You can change your drawing size
using the LIMITS command.
Setting your drawing size type:
limits
Specify lower left corner or [ON/OFF] <0.0000,0.0000>: {Enter the lower left
corner of your limits.

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Specify upper right corner <420.0000,297.0000>:

XIV

Usually this should

always remain 0,0.}
{Enter the
coordinates for the
upper right corner of
the drawing area you
want to use. You can
use the mouse to
select the upper
right corner of the
limits.}

Specifying the Units for the Drawing

The units (i.e. inches, millimeters, feet) used to

draw objects in the drawing area can be selected using
the UNITS command. Type UNITS then press enter.
The following dialog box will appear allowing you to
select the units and the number of decimals displayed
in the commands.
XV

Shortcuts

AutoCAD has many short cuts that make the work easier. One very useful
one is pressing the ENTER key to repeat the last command.
XVI

Saving Your Work

Periodically, you should save your work. You can do this by clicking on the
A icon then selecting Save with your mouse. You can also save your work by
typing Ctrl S (holding down the Ctrl key and pressing the S key.)
The first time you do this, AutoCAD produces a dialog box that allows you to
select the file folder where you want the files saved and the name you want to use for
the drawing. The next time you use the command, AutoCAD saves the file at the
same location using the same name.

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XVII Plotting
You can plot the drawings you have made
by clicking on the A icon then selecting print.
This creates the dialog box shown on the right.
Select the printer or plotter you are going
to use then define the plotting area. If you set
limits for the area you want to plot select Limits
in the What to plot: pull down menu. If you
did not define the limits, you can use Extents.
The Extents will plot selection will plot
everything you have drawn.
We are not plotting scaled drawings at
this time so mark the Fit to paper box. This
will stretch or shrink the drawing so that it fits on the paper.
Before you click on OK to plot the drawing, it is always a good idea to
Preview to drawing. Click on this button to see what the drawing will look like on
your sheet of paper. If it looks ok, you can click on the printer button in the preview
screen. If it does not look ok, click on the circle with an X in it. This will return to
the plot Model dialog box so you can make changes that will hopefully produce the
plot you want. After you have made changes, be sure to preview it again to make sure
it is working correctly.
XVIII Ending the Program
You terminate the program by clicking on A then Exit AutoCAD in the
lower right corner of the pull down menu. The program asks you if you want to save
the changes you have made to the drawing. You should click on the Yes button to
save the changes.

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Problems

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2 Orthographic Drawings
Orthographic drawings are a very
common style of drawing and are easily
created with AutoCAD. In this exercise, we
will use AutoCAD to draw the front, top, and
right side views of the object shown at the
right. We will start with a third angle view
then try some first angle views in the
exercises. The dimensions of the object are
shown at the right and we will make our
AutoCAD drawing dimensionally correct.
Unlike some of our previous drawings, we
will use coordinates to draw the lines instead of simply clicking with the mouse.
In the last assignment, you drew solid lines but sometimes you need dashed or
dotted lines. AutoCAD has the ability to draw many different types of lines but the
line type or style must be loaded before they can be used. The line types are loaded
with the commands:
LINETYPE

This brings up the line type dialog box

Load
shown on the right. Click on the LOAD
Button
button to bring up a selection of line types
that can be loaded. The dialog box is shown
on the right.
Search through the file and click on
the HIDDEN2 line type. We will use this
line type to draw hidden lines in our
orthographic or multi-view drawings.
You can highlight several line types
by holding down the CTRL key while you
Hidden
click on the names. Once you have selected
Line
the HIDDEN2 name, click on the OK button.
We could load many other lines types but this
is the only one we will need for this drawing.
Now click on the LAYER PROPERTIES button shown in the figure shown
on the right.
This button creates the layers
management dialog box shown at the top of
the next page.

Manage
Layers

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Locked

Current
Layer

Color

Line
Weight

Create New
Layer
Layer
Name

On/Off

Frozen

Line
Type

Lines, circles, and arcs belong to layers and each layer determines how the
lines, circles, and arcs will be drawn. The layer controls the color, line type, line
weight and several other attributes for the layer. These attributes are:
Layer Name

The name used for the layer. Each layer has a

unique name.

On/Off

If on the lines can be seen and if off they cannot

be seen if it is on it can be seen.

Frozen

This attribute is very similar to On/Off. If a

layer is frozen, it cannot be seen.

Locked

The lines in the layer cannot be deleted or

modified.

Color

Determines the color of the lines when they are

displayed.

Line Type

Determines which line type is used to draw lines

in this layer. They can be solid or dashed in
many different ways.

Line Weight

This attribute controls how thick the line is when

it is drawn on the screen and plotted. The
varying thickness on the screen can be turned on
and off using a button at the bottom of the main
window.

Create New Layer

This button creates a new layer. After it is

created you can change the attributes so that it
meets your needs.

Current Layer

Click on one of the existing layers then click on

the Current Layer check mark. All lines drawn
from this point on will be in the layer marked as
the Current Layer. This will remain in effect
until the current layer is changed again.

This dialog box allows you to create new layers and define their attributes.
Click on the Create New Layer button and create layers with the names: OBJ, PROJ,
Orthographic Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

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HIDE, FOLD, and CENTER. Click on the color for the projection layer and change
its color. This will make it easier to distinguish projection lines form object lines.
You can choose a different color for each layer if you desire.
In this exercise, we will create several new layers. They are:
OBJ

This layer is used for line that make up the objects we are
drawing.

HIDE

This layer is used for hidden lines.

CENTER

This layer is used for centerlines.

PROJ

This layer is used for lines that project from one view to the
next. They aid in the placement and size of the views.

FOLD

Orthographic views are created by projecting views to the faces

of a projection box. The lines in this layer represent the edges
of that box.

For the HIDE layer, click on the Line Type and select hidden from the list of
loaded line types. This is the line type we added when we loaded line types in a
previous step. We did not have to load the line types during that step, we can load
them now. Click on the line type for the CENTER layer and in the line type dialog
box click on the LOAD button. Now search for CENTER2 in the line types, click on
it then click on OK to load the line type also. You can now select it for the CENTER
layer.
The lines drawn in each layer can have different weights. Click on the line
weight for the OBJ layer and set the line weight to 0.3 mm. When you have finished
that, click on the line weight for FOLD and set the line weight to 0.5 mm. We will
use different line weights for the object lines and for the folding lines between views.
All other layers will use the DEFAULT line weight which is the thinnest line the
@0,1.4
graphics device can produce.
@-1.2,0
@0,.8
@-2,0
We are going to start drawing lines in
the OBJ (object) layer so click on the OBJ
name to highlight it then click on the green
check mark at the top of the dialog box that
Start here 1,1
@3.2,0
selects the current layer. Once you have
selected the OBJ layer, click on the X in the
extreme upper left corner of the dialog box to dismiss the dialog box.
Now we can start drawing the object. We will start with the Front view.
Either type LINE or click on the line button at the top left of the Now use the LINE
command to first draw the front view of the object.

LINE
From point:
To point:
To point:
To point:
To point:
To point:

1,1
@3.2,0
@0,.8
@-2,0
@0,1.4
@-1.2,0

{Start the drawing here for convenience}

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To point:

C
{Close the
outline of the object}

Absolute
Coordinate
1.6, 2.2

Next, draw the circle that represents

the hole through the object. Note that you
started the drawing at coordinates 1,1 so the
center of the circle must be biased by these
coordinates. That puts the center at 1.6, 2.2.

CIRCLE
3P/2P/TTR/<Center Point>:
Diameter/<Radius>:
Diameter:

1.6,2.2
D
1

The finished drawing with the circle is shown above. This is the front view of
the object.
We set the OBJ layer lines to a line weight of 0.3 mm but you will probably
notice that they are not being drawn any heavier than any other line. We need to turn
that feature on. At the bottom left of the screen, you will see a number of buttons
which are shown in the figure below. These buttons help us control the drawing
process.
Polar
Tracking

Snap
Mode

Grid
Display

Object
Snap

Ortho
Mode

Line
Weight

Click on the Line Weight button to turn on the display of heaver lines.

ORTHO Mode
Drawing perfectly horizontal and vertical lines with the mouse is very
difficult, but AutoCAD can assist you. At the very bottom of the AutoCAD window
is a small icon shown above called ORTHO. ORTHO is an AutoCAD setting. When
ORTHO is on, you can only draw vertical and horizontal lines with the mouse and
when ORTHO is off, you can draw lines in any direction. You turn ORTHO on and
off by clicking on the ORTHO icon at the bottom of the window or by typing the
ORTHO command. When you click on the icon, the background of the icon changes
colors indicating the ORTHO setting is on. You can turn the setting on and off while
you are in the LINE or other commands by just clicking on the icon.
The ORTHO setting does not affect lines drawn by entering coordinates.
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We will start the additions by drawing the folding lines. Folding lines
represent the corners of the projection box used to view orthographic drawings.
Switch to the FOLD layer by clicking on the Layer Manage button or by typing
LAYER then selecting FOLD as the current layer. These folding lines are horizontal
and vertical and you can force AutoCAD to draw only horizontally or vertical lines by
typing the ORTHO command as shown below or by clicking on the ORTHO MODE
button at the bottom of the screen. You must do this before you draw the folding lines.
ORTHO
ON/OFF/<off>:

ON

{Turn the ORTHO setting on so we can only draw

horizontal and vertical lines}

Draw the folding lines with the LINE command. Visually select a starting
place for the folding lines. You could locate the lines with coordinates but that is not
really necessary.
LINE
From point:

To point:

{Click on an appropriate
point to draw the
horizontal folding line}
{Move the mouse to the
right and extend the
folding line out as far as
you think will be
necessary. The Ortho
Mode is on so the line is
horizontal.}

Repeat the process and draw the

vertical folding line. After you have drawn this
line you are ready to draw projection lines. These projection lines will help us
position and control the size of the top and right side views. The projection lines are
used in much the same way as they are when drafting orthographic drawings.
The projection lines are either horizontal or vertical so the ORTHO ON setting
you are current using is appropriate. The projection lines must start at the corners of
the front view. You could use coordinates to place the lines in this position, but that
would be difficult to do. AutoCAD provides a simpler method called OSNAP tools.
AutoCAD OSNAP tools allow you to use the coordinates of specific points in
the drawing as the coordinates of lines, circles, etc. that you are creating. To use the
OSNAP tools, type:
OSNAP

This creates the dialog box shown

on the right. It is used to determine
which things the program will snap points
to. For example, if the intersection on the
left side of the dialog box is marked, the
program will look for intersecting lines.
If the mouse passes over one of these
intersections, the pointer will hesitate and
the program will draw a small box
indicating it has found an intersection. If
you click with the mouse to start a line,
Orthographic Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

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arc, circle or any other entity, it will start at the intersection. The dialog box on the
right is used to select the things the program will snap to. Mark Endpoint, Center,
Intersection, and Extension then click on OK at the bottom of the dialog box.
Switch to the PROJ layer by typing:
LAYER
{Make projection lines the current
layer}

Next use the LINE command to draw

projection lines from the front view into both
Draw
the top and right side view (remember, you
these
are drawing a third angle projection.) You
lines
repeat this sequence of commands and draw
both vertical and horizontal projection lines.
These lines are easy to draw because
AutoCAD automatically finds the corners of
the object and with ORTHO on you only
have to draw with the mouse. When you
Lines to
have finished drawing these lines you can
extend
draw both horizontal and vertical projection
lines from the center of the circle.
You have not finished with the
projection lines. You need to draw projection
lines from the extreme edges of the circle into
Boundaries
both the top and right views of the object.
You can do this by first extending the
projection lines starting at the center of the
circle through the other side of the circle then projecting the intersection points of
these lines and the circle to the other two views. Start with the EXTEND command.
EXTEND
Select boundary edge(s)...

Select objects to extend:

{Click on the left side and bottom

of the object. Press Return after
you have selected the two
edges}
{Click on the two lines starting at
the center of the circle. After
extending these two lines press
Return}

Now that you have extended these two

lines, project the lines from their intersection
with the circle to the other two views. Repeat
Draw these
this operation to extend the projection lines
lines
into both the top and right views.
Once you have finished with these
lines, draw a 45 degree line extending from
the intersection of the two folding lines.
AutoCAD can draw using X-Y (Cartesian
coordinates) or polar coordinates. We will
use polar coordinates to create this line. Polar coordinates consist of a length and an
angle. The length is entered first followed by a < symbol then an angle. The <
symbol separates the length from the angle and tells AutoCAD that you are entering a
Orthographic Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

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polar coordinate. The angle is specified in

degrees measured from the horizontal axis. A
positive number is an anticlockwise
(counterclockwise) rotation and a negative
number is a clockwise rotation. If you
precede the length with a @ sign, the last
point will be used for the origin of the polar
coordinate.

@6<45
Start Point

Enter:
Line
Specify first point:
Specify next point: @6<45
Specify next point:

{click at the intersection of the folding lines}

{Create a line that is 6 long at an angle of 45 degrees from
horizontal}
{End line command}

Cutting
Edges

You are now ready to draw the top

view. Use the LAYER command to change
the current drawing layer back to OBJ and
then draw a horizontal line with the mouse.
This line represents the front of the object in
Draw
the top view. This line should extend beyond
Line
both the left most and right most vertical
projection lines. ORTHO is set to on so it
should be rather simple to draw this line with the mouse. The vertical placement of
the line is not important but the line should be as far from the top-front folding line as
the front view is.
You can use the TRIM command to trim the line you have just drawn so that it
has the proper length.
TRIM
Select cutting edge(s) ... {Click on the left and right projection lines. We
will trim the object line to these two lines. Press
Return after clicking on the two lines.}
Select objects to trim:
{Click on the left and right ends of the line we
want to trim. It will be trimmed to the proper
length.}

Now draw the rest of the top view. Start at the

right end of the line you just trimmed and
draw around the top view, moving in a
counter clockwise direction.
LINEFrom point: {Click on the right end
of the line you just
trimmed}
To point:
@0,.4
To point:
@-1.2,0
To point:
@0,1
To point:
@1.2,0
To point:
@0,.4

Orthographic Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Line after
trimming

Page |7

To point:
To point:

@-3.2,0
{Click on the left end of the
first line drawn to complete
the outline of the object.
Press return to end the
command.}

Next, add the vertical line defining the right

edge of the rectangle containing the hole.
LINE
From point:

To point:

1 Click here

{1 - Click on the
intersection of the
projection line and
the front edge of the
object.}
{2 - Click on the
intersection of the
projection line and
the back edge of the
object.}

2 Click here

You should now have the drawing shown in the

figure at the right.
The top view is not complete but we
will leave it for now to project lines from the
top to right side view and draw the right side
view. Switch the layer to the PROJ layer and
project horizontal lines from the top view to
beyond the 45 degree line to the right. This is
shown in the figure at the bottom of the page.
The projection lines have no specific length so
you can draw them with the mouse and
ORTHO set to ON.

After drawing these projection lines,

extend them down to the right side view by
starting lines at the intersection of the 45
degree line and the horizontal projection
lines from the top view. Here again, you
can draw these projection lines with the
mouse because their length is not important.
The ORTHO ON setting forces the lines to
be vertical.

Orthographic Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Create these
lines

Draw these
lines

Page |8

Your drawing should look like the one

at the bottom of the previous page. It is
getting cluttered with projection lines but
these will aid you in drawing the right view
and when you are finished, you can turn them
off so that they do not show in our final plot.
The next step is to draw the right
view. You could do this with coordinates but
it is easier to use the projection lines and let
AutoCAD compute the coordinates at the
intersections of the projection lines. Just draw
by clicking with the mouse at the intersection
of the projection lines.
You are almost finished. The only
things left to draw are a hidden line in the
front view that shows the notch that is
prominent on the right side of the top view
and the center lines for the hole. We will draw
the hidden line in the front view first.
Switch the layer back to PROJ and
draw a projection line from the inside of the
notch in the top view down to the front view.
Next switch to the HIDE layer and
draw the hidden lines in the front view
showing notch. The drawing should look like
the one shown on the right.
After you have finished drawing the
hidden lines in the front view, draw the
hidden lines for the hole in both the top and
right side views.

The only things missing are center

lines for the hole. Change the layer to
CENTER and draw the lines in the top and
right side views using the following sequence
of commands.

Right View

New
Projection
Line
New
Hidden
Line

Hidden
Lines

1 Near
Projection
Line

2 Near
Projection
Line

LINE
From point:
Of:

NEAR

To point:

NEAR

{1 - Click on the projection line extending through the

center of the hole in the top view. Click where you
want the centerline to start}

Orthographic Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Page |9

{2 - Click on the other end of the centerline}

Of:

Repeat the process for drawing the centerline in the right side view.

Next, we will draw the center lines for the hole in the front view. It is difficult
to draw the crossing type of center lines with two lines. The dashes usually do not line
up correctly and the center lines will not look right. These types of center lines are
best drawn using AutoCAD commands designed specifically to draw circle centers.
Click on the Annotate tab at the top left of the AutoCAD window then on the
Dimensions pull down under the dimension section of the ribbon. You should see a
pull down menu like the one shown below.

Circle Center
Button
Click on the Circle Center Button then click on the circle in the front view.
That will put a small cross in the center of the circle. If the cross is too small or too
big, you can adjust its size with the DIMCEN command. DIMCEN sets the size of the
plus that is drawn at the center of the circle. It should be large enough to see but not
so large that it dominates the center of the circle. Later on, we will use this circle
center for dimensioning our drawings.
dimcen
Enter new value for DIMCEN <0.0000>: .1

The DIMCEN command will not change the size of the plus after it is drawn.
If you draw the plus and it is not the right size, delete it, change the DIMCEN size, and
redraw it. Repeat this until it looks reasonable.
We are getting close to the end. We have drawn all three views and it is time
to turn off the display of the projection and folding lines. They are no longer needed.
Use the following method:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Type LAYER to start the layer command

Set the current layer to the OBJ layer.
Click on the light bulb next the PROJ layer name.
Click on the light bulb next to the FOLD layer name.
Click on the X in the upper left of the layer dialog box to dismiss the
layer box.

You will be left with drawing shown below.

Orthographic Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

P a g e | 10

If the dashes on the center lines and

hidden lines do not seem appropriate, you
can change their length with the LTSCALE
command. This command sets a scale
factor for the dashes used in noncontinuous lines.
You can change the scale with the
commands:

LTSCALE
New scale factor <1.0000>

0.5

{Changing the line type scale to 0.5

makes the dash length its current
size. A factor smaller than one
reduces the size of the dashes and a
factor greater than one increases the
size. You can experiment with
different sizes until the line types
look correct.}

Through at last !!!!!!!

Orthographic Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

P a g e | 11

3 More Orthographic Drawings

In Chapter 2 we looked at
drawing third angle orthographic
drawings. We used projection lines to
aid in the drawing the TOP and
RIGHT views. In this chapter, we will
draw first angle drawings using
projection lines to assist in drawing all
of the views. Our intent is to use the
projection lines as fully as possible in
order to eliminate the use of
coordinates.
We are illustrating the
techniques used here with first angle
projections. The same techniques can
be used just as well with third angle projections.
First and third angle projections only differ in the placement of the views.
This difference is shown in the diagram below.
First Angle Projection

Right
View

Third Angle Projection

Front
View

Top
View

Top
View

Front
View

Right
View

Creating Layers
Before we start, you must create layers for the drawing. We are going to use
the same layers that you created last time. They are:
Name
OBJ
HIDE
PROJ
CENTER
FOLD

Linetype
Continuous
HIDDEN2
Continuous
CENTER2
Continuous

Weight
0.3
Default
Default
Default
Default

You may choose any color you want for the lines. Remember that it is
frequently better to have a different color for the projection lines than for the other
lines in the drawing. This makes it much easier to distinguish projection lines from
other types of lines.

More Orthographic Drawings R Greenlee

Page |1

Starting the Drawing

Now that you have created all of the layers, switch to the OBJ layer. We will
start by drawing the bottom edge of the object on the left side of the pictorial shown
above. This first line is horizontal and 200 mm long. Type:
Line
Specify first point: 10,10

{Actually we could start the line anywhere and you

could use the line icon and select a starting
location with the mouse}
{The line is horizontal and 200 units long}
{Press enter to end the command}

Specify next point: @200,0

Specify next point:

More than likely, you are not seeing all of the line. Some of it may have
disappeared off the screen or the line may not be visible at all. This is not a problem.
You can always bring the line back onto the screen with the command:
zoom
Specify corner of window: all

Regenerating model

{We tell AutoCAD we want to see everything

we have drawn. It will rescale the window so
that everything appears}
{This message indicates that AutoCAD had
to create a new viewing range to display the
picture.}

At this point, the line should appear on the screen. It may extend across the
entire screen so that you cannot see the end points. If this is the case, place the mouse
pointer on the line and roll the wheel towards you to make the line smaller. Continue
rolling the wheel towards you until the line is a small as it can be. This is the limit of
the AutoCAD regeneration range. To see the line even smaller, you must regenerate
the drawing again. Enter the command:
regen
Regenerating model

{AutoCAD creates a new viewing range}

Now you can roll the wheel and make the line appear even shorter. You are
not actually changing the length of the line. The line is still 200 mm long. The only
thing you are changing is how AutoCAD displays the line. You can always
regenerate a drawing if you run into a limit while trying to make it larger or smaller
on the screen.

Projection Lines
We are going to start
drawing projection lines.
These lines extend from the
line we have drawn in the
FRONT view down to the TOP
view of the object and over to
the RIGHT view. Press down

First Line

More Orthographic Drawings R Greenlee

Page |2

on the mouse wheel and drag the line to the top of the screen. When you have
finished drawing the line and moving it to the top of the screen, your drawing should
resemble the one shown above.
Make sure that ORTHO is on. You can do that with the ORTHO command.
ortho
Enter mode [ON/OFF] <OFF>: on

You can turn ORTHO on by with the

command illustrated above or by
clicking on the ORTHO icon at the
bottom of the AutoCAD window. We
want ORTHO on because we are
going to draw vertical and horizontal
projection lines.

ORTHO
Icon

OSNAP
Icon

Make sure that object snap is turned on. We want to draw lines with the
mouse by snapping to endpoints, intersections, centers, and other features of lines that
have been drawn. OSNAP can be turned on by clicking on the icon in the bottom left
of the AutoCAD window. OSNAP is on when the button is highlighted. The icon is
shown in the figure on the right.

Horizontal Line

Vertical Line

Start
Horizontal
Line

Switch to the PROJ layer and draw a vertical line extending down from the
left end of the line you have already drawn. Draw a horizontal line extending from
the right end of the line as shown in the drawing above.
The horizontal projection lines should be long enough to extend through the
RIGHT view and the vertical lines should be long enough to extend through the TOP
view.
The FRONT view of the object
50
we are drawing is shown below.
10
Notice that it has several features that
50
will project to the TOP and RIGHT
views. We can quickly create
120
projection lines for these features by
75
copying the projection lines we have
30
already created. We will copy the
lines with the OFFSET command.
50
50
100
The OFFSET command copies
200
a projection line and at the same time
More Orthographic Drawings R Greenlee

Page |3

offsets the new line a specified distance from the original. You can use this command
to quickly draw both horizontal and vertical projection lines.
We start with the horizontal lines. These lines project to the RIGHT view.
The first projection line will be at the top of the object. It is offset 120 mm from the
bottom line that we have already drawn.

Enter:
offset
Specify offset distance: 120
Select object to offset:
Specify point on side to offset:

Select object to offset:

{Offset distance to top of the object}

{1 - Click on the horizontal projection line}
{2 - Click somewhere above the horizontal
projection line. This will create the new line
above the existing line}
{Press Enter to end the command}

The results are shown below.

2 Click here for Offset Side

New Line Created

1 Click on Line to Offset

The other horizontal projection lines can be easily created using the OFFSET
command. The diagram below shows the offset distances for new lines. Use this
diagram to create the remaining horizontal projection lines. The dimensions show the
offset distance between the existing projection line and the new projection line you
are creating.

Top Projection Line

10

50

75
30

More Orthographic Drawings R Greenlee

Original Projection Line

Page |4

Next, we create the vertical projection

lines. We start by extending the vertical
projection line that we have already drawn to
top horizontal projection line. This extends
the projection line through the FRONT view
so that it can be used to draw lines and other
features in the FRONT view. Enter the
following command.

extend
Select boundary edges ...
Select
Select
Select
Select

2
{1 Click on the top horizontal projection line}
{Press Enter to end the selection}
{2 Click on the vertical projection line}
{Press Enter to end the command}

objects: 1 found
objects:
object to extend:
object to extend:

Now you can offset the vertical projection line to create all of the other
vertical projection lines. Use the diagram below to assist in creating these lines.

New Projection Lines

50

50

100
200

First Vertical Projection Line

Creating the FRONT View

The FRONT can be created now. Switch to the OBJ layer and use the LINE
command to draw around the FRONT view. Each corner of the object is at an
intersection of a horizontal and vertical projection line so the entire outline of the
object can be created by clicking.
The object contains rounds and fillets but do not worry about those at this
time. We will create them later. For
now, just draw the view with sharp
corners. When you have finished, you
should have a drawing similar to the
one shown on the right.
Creating Folding Lines

New Lines

We can now create the folding

lines which separate the FRONT view
More Orthographic Drawings R Greenlee

Page |5

from the TOP and RIGHT side views. Switch

to the FOLD layer and draw the lines with the
mouse. They should extend a little farther
than the horizontal and vertical projection
lines. Your drawing should look like the one
shown at the right.
The folding lines in the drawing are
drawn with a heavy line weight. Your lines
might be thinner depending upon how you
defined them in the FOLD layer. The
thickness of the lines is not important because
we will not display them in the final drawing.

The 45 degree line separating the TOP

and RIGHT views can be created with the
following commands.
line
Specify first point:
Specify next point: @300<-135

Specify next point:

45 Degree Line

{1 - Click at the intersection of the two

folding lines}
{Angles are measured from the horizontal
axis with positive values in an
anticlockwise direction and negative
values in a clockwise direction.}
{Press Enter to end the command}

The folding lines with the 45 degree line are shown in the drawing on the
right.

First Line in Top View

More Orthographic Drawings R Greenlee

Page |6

Creating the TOP View

TOP View Line

Start theTOP view by switching to the

OBJ layer then drawing a horizontal line
below the horizontal folding line. This line
Remove Ends
represents the back of the object.
Draw the line with the mouse and
extend it beyond the left and right vertical
Cutting Edges
projection lines as shown in the drawing on
the right.
Use the TRIM command to trim off the ends of the line that extend beyond the
right and left projection lines. The projection lines can be used as the cutting edges
for the TRIM command.
The commands for trimming the line are shown on the next page.
trim
Select
Select
Select
Select
Select
Select
Select

cutting edges ...

objects: 1 found
objects: 1 found
objects:
object to trim:
object to trim:
object to trim:

{Click on the right most projection line}

{Click on the left most projection line}
{No more cutting edges press Enter}
{Click on the right end of the TOP view line}
{Click on the left end of the TOP view line}
{Press Enter to end the command}

The OFFSET command can be

used to create the other horizontal
lines in the TOP view. The offset
distances are shown in the figure on
the right.

20

40

80

New Lines Created

The vertical lines in the view

can be drawn with the mouse by
clicking on the intersection of the
projection lines and the horizontal
lines we have just created. The
completed view is shown on the right.
Lines Created

More Orthographic Drawings R Greenlee

Page |7

Creating the RIGHT View

The RIGHT view is easily created by
projecting horizontal lines from the TOP view
to 45 degree folding line. From here the lines
are projected up to the TOP view. This is
very similar to the work you did in Chapter 2
of this tutorial. After you have completed
these projections, your drawing should look
like the one on the right.
Remember to switch to the PROJ layer before drawing more projection lines.

You can now create the lines in the

TOP view. Switch back to the OBJ layer and
draw the lines with the mouse. The
completed TOP view is shown on the right.

Hole in the FRONT View

The hole in the FRONT view can be
drawn by adding a circle in the view. It has a
diameter of 50 mm. There is a projection line
crossing at the center of the circle so it is very
easy locate the center with the mouse.
After the circle is drawn, extend
projection lines from the top and bottom to
the RIGHT view and from the right and left to
the TOP view. The drawing with these
projection lines is shown on the right.

The next step is to draw the hidden

lines produced by the hole (circle) in the
FRONT view. Switch to the HIDE layer and
draw the hidden lines in each of these views.
While you are at it, draw the hidden line just
above the base in the FRONT view also.
Hidden Lines

More Orthographic Drawings R Greenlee

Page |8

The holes in the RIGHT and TOP views should have centerlines. These
centerlines should extend beyond the outside edge of the views. We will use the
projection lines going through the centers of the holes and the near attribute to place
the centerlines on these projection lines and to start and end the centerlines beyond the
edges of the object.
You must switch the current layer to CENTER before drawing the centerlines.

1 Beginning of Centerline

2 End of Centerline

line
Specify first point: near
To
Specify next point: near
To
Specify next point:

{Use near to put the point on the projection line}

{1 - Click on the projection line where you want the
centerline to begin}
{Use near for the end point of the centerline}
{2 - Click on the projection line where you want the
centerline to end}
{Press Enter to end the command}

When you have finished the centerline in the RIGHT view, continue on and
draw the centerline in the TOP view using the same technique.

Adjusting the Linetype

We have completed most of the drawing, it is time for us to turn off the
projection and folding lines. Click on the layer control box and then click on the light
bulb icons for the PROJ and FOLD layers to turn them off. Your picture should look
something like the one shown on the
right.
Frequently when we use
different linetypes, the dashes do not
show. The reason may be that the
scale of the drawing is such that the
entire line is only one dash long or it
may be that the dashes are so small
they run together. The picture shows
this latter case. The dashes are too
small and they run together. We can
correct that with the LTSCALE
command.
More Orthographic Drawings R Greenlee

Page |9

ltscale
Enter new linetype scale factor <1.0000>: 30

In this case, we are entering a scale

factor of 30. This factor makes the dashes 30
times longer than they were originally. That
will work for this drawing but it will not work
for all drawings. If the dashes are not
showing, or if they are too small, try entering
a scaling larger than 1. You might have to try
several different scaling factors to get the
linetypes to appear correctly. If the dashes are
too large, enter a scaling factor smaller than 1.
The corrected picture is shown on the right.

At this point, we do not have

centerlines for the hole in the FRONT view.
These should be drawn by placing a small +
in the center of the circle. In the previous
lesson, we used the center mark icon to
create this +. The menu showing this icon is
Center Mark
shown in the picture on the right.
Click on the center mark icon and
then click on the circle in the FRONT view.
You may notice that the center mark is far too
small or that nothing happened at all. We need to change the size of the center mark
and this can be done with the DIMSCALE command. The DIMSCALE command
changes the scale factor for dimensions. Enter the command:
dimscale
Enter new value for DIMSCALE <1.0000>: 30

In this case we are making the

dimensions 30 times larger than they
currently are. You will have to redraw the
center mark. It is not dynamic so once it is
drawn; its size will not change even
though you change the dimension scaling
factor.
The center mark is shown in the
drawing on the right.

More Orthographic Drawings R Greenlee

P a g e | 10

Adding Fillets
The drawing is complete except for fillets and rounds in some of the corners.
We could add those with the arc command but there is a much easier method.
AutoCAD has a FILLET command that makes creating fillets and rounds a snap.
1
4

Enter the command:

fillet
Current settings: Mode=TRIM,Radius=0.0
Select first object or
[Undo/Radius/Trim/Multiple]: r
Specify fillet radius <0.0000>: 10
Select first object:
Select second object:
Command:

{The radius is zero which is too

small}
{Enter r to change the radius
of the fillet}
{The new radius is 10}
{1 Click on line}
{2 Click on line}

{Press Enter to start the fillet command again}

FILLET
Current settings: Mode=TRIM,Radius=10.0
Select first object:
Select second object:

{3 Click on line}
{4 Click on line}

The FRONT view with the two new fillets is shown above.

More Orthographic Drawings R Greenlee

P a g e | 11

The right side of the FRONT

view also has a fillet on the front
surface but not on the back. We can
again use the FILLET command to
create this fillet but this time we will
not have the program trim the lines.
Enter:

fillet
Current settings: Mode=TRIM,Radius=10.0
Select first object or
[Undo/Radius/Trim/Multiple]: t

Enter Trim mode option

[Trim/No trim] <Trim>: n
Select first object:
Select second object:

2
1

{We want to change how the

lines are trimmed after inserting
the fillet}
{Turn off trimming}
{1 Click on line}
{2 Click on Line}

The figure above shows the locations for references to line 1 and 2.
This completes our work. The finished drawing is shown below.

More Orthographic Drawings R Greenlee

P a g e | 12

Chapter 4 Dimensioning Drawings

In this chapter, we are going to learn how to dimension the drawings we are
creating. AutoCAD supplies many different tools for creating these dimensions
quickly and easily. We will cover the basic tools.
The dimensions created by AutoCAD come from the dimensions you used
when you drew the part. It is very important that you use the correct dimensions
when you are drawing. Many students will use a scaling factor when they are
drawing to make it easier to keep the entire drawing on the screen. This is completely
unnecessary and undesirable. If the drawing or a line extends beyond the edge of the
screen use the zoom command to show the entire drawing.
zoom

all

{This will display everything you have drawn on

the screen. If it is still too large, roll the mouse
wheel towards you to reduce the size farther.}

We are going to start by drawing the

front, top, and right views of the object shown
on the right. We will use a first angle
projection for our drawings.
Start as you did before by creating
Obj, Hide, Proj, Center, and Fold layers. Set
the appropriate line types for hidden and
center lines and select colors as appropriate.
You can start by drawing the front
view. It is a basic box with two holes in it.
Make sure you use the correct dimensions.
Use exactly the same techniques you used in
the last chapter to draw a simple box shown
below with two holes as shown below. The
two lines extending up from the bottom
corners are just construction lines for the
creation of the holes and they can be erased
after the holes have been created.
Next we need to cut off the corners on
the front plate of the part. This can be done
with the FILLET command. Two things
must be defined for the FILLET command
before we can use it. We must set the radius
of the fillet and in this case, we want to turn trimming off so that the tangent lines are
left in place. Normally we would want AutoCAD to remove these lines.
The FILLET command remembers the settings so we only have to make
changes to the radius and trim settings when we want it to work differently than the
last time we used the command. Initially the radius is set to zero and trimming is
turned on. You will always need to set the radius the first time you use the command.
3.0

16.0

Dia 3.0

R2.0

6.5

8.0

10.0

3.0

8.0

4.0

9.0

fillet
Current settings: Mode = TRIM, Radius = 0.0000
Select first object or
[Undo/Polyline/Radius/Trim/Multiple]: R
{enter R to change the
radius}
Specify fillet radius <0.0000>:
2
{enter 2 to set the radius}

Dimensioning Drawings with AutoCAD R Greenlee

Page |1

Select first object or

Undo/Polyline/Radius/Trim/Multiple]:

{enter T to change the

trim option}
Enter Trim mode option [Trim/No trim] <Trim>: No
T

Select the top and left side of the box

to create the first rounded corner then repeat
the command and select the top and right side
of the box. You should be left with the object
shown on the right.

Now we can draw the folding lines and start projecting the features shown on
the front view to the right and top views. Remember that we are creating a first angle
projection so the top view is below the front view and the right view is to the left.
After the folding and projecting lines are drawn, change to the object layer and
draw the right edge of the object in the right
view. You can draw it with the mouse then
trim it using the projection lines like we did in
the previous assignments. When you have
finished, you should have a drawing similar to
the one shown on the right.
The other vertical edges in the right
view can be created with the OFFSET
command. This command will duplicate a
line at a specified offset distance. Enter
Offset
Specify offset distance: <0.0>:
Select object to offset:

Select object to offset:

{select the right edge of the

object then click to the left of
the line}
{click on the new line you
created then to the left of that
line to create another line offset
by 3}

Repeat the above process by clicking on the line just created then to the left of
the line to place the new offset until all of vertical lines have been created.
Next, you can draw the bottom of the object by creating a line that connects
the bottoms of the left most and right most lines. Use the OFFSET command to
create the slot in the bottom of the object then
use the TRIM command to trim the line to the
correct length. The results are shown in the
figure on the right.
Create this line
The OFFSET and TRIM commands
with the offset
command
are very useful and can frequently be used to
eliminate typing coordinates when creating
Use the trim command to
lines and other objects.
remove these lines
Dimensioning Drawings with AutoCAD R Greenlee

Page |2

Continue as we have before and

complete the three views. These are shown on
the right. Remember that this is a first angle
projection. The right view is on the left, the
top view is on the bottom, and the front view
is between the other two.

Moving Views
If the views you have drawn are too close together to accommodate
dimensions, use the MOVE command to move them farther apart. Use the Window
option of the MOVE command to select only those lines and arcs that are part of the
view and move them farther down the drawing. Before you start, make sure that
ORTHO is set to ON so that the view can only be moved vertically. The MOVE
command is illustrated below.
Move
Select objects:

{enter w to create a window around the

object}
Specify first corner:
{1 - click below and to the left of all lines
in the top view}
Specify opposite corner:
{2 - click above and to the right of all of
the lines in the top view}
Select objects:
{if all of the lines have been selected,
press enter otherwise continue to select
lines}
Specify base point or [Displacement] {3 - click on a point in the top view
you wish to use as a handle to move
the view}
Specify second point or
{drag the view to where you want it and
click with the mouse to relocate it}
W

2 - Click

3 Base Point

1 - Click
Dimensioning Drawings with AutoCAD R Greenlee

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The figure on the right shows the three

views after the top view has been moved.
You now have space to create the dimensions.

Adding Dimensions
AutoCAD supplies a several menu items for creating dimensions. Clicking on
the Annotate tab to produces the ribbon shown below.
Annotate Tab

Dimension
pull down

Adjust Space

Continue or baseline

There are two very useful commands. There are:

Adjust Space
Continue
Baseline

this controls the spacing between nested dimensions

this allows dimensions to continue so that the end of one
is the beginning of the next
this allows multiple dimensions to start at the same base
location

If you click on the Dimension pull down AutoCAD will produce the menu
shown on the right.
Linear
Aligned
Angular
Arc Length
Radius
Diameter

produces normal horizontal and vertical

dimensions
produces dimensions that are aligned with
part features
is used to create angular dimensions
dimensions the arc length of an arc or a
polyline
creates a radius dimension
creates a diameter dimension

Dimensioning Drawings with AutoCAD R Greenlee

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We can use these tools to create dimensions on the drawing we have created.
Remember before you start creating dimensions there are several rules to
follow.
1. The person who makes the part must measure it exactly the way you
dimensioned it. If you dimension it in a way that is difficult to measure,
you have made the part much more expensive to make without improving
the quality or usefulness of the part
.
2. Dimension in the view where you see the shape. Holes should be
dimensioned where you see the round shape.
3. Do not dimension to hidden lines if possible. You can usually dimension
the feature in a different view where it is not hidden.
First, click on the Linear dimension
button then (1) click on the bottom, left corner
of the front view. This is the beginning point
for the dimensions. We want to create a
dimension from this point to the center of the
left circle. Click on the center (2) of the left
most circle in the front view then move the
mouse to a position below the front view and
(3) click to locate the text.

4.00

2 Click

3 Click
h

1 Click

Now click on the Continue button

and dimension to the center of the next circle
then to the lower right corner of the part in the
front view. Press the ESC key when you have
finished. Your drawing should look like the
one on the right.
Next we will dimension the holes and
the rounds in the corners. Click on the
dimension pull down and click on the
Diameter button. Use this command to
dimension both circles.

4.00

8.00

4.00

3.00

3.00
R2.00

R2.00

Next use the Radius button to

dimension the rounded corners. Click on the
button, then click on the arc you want to
dimension, then move the mouse to the place
you where you want the annotation to appear
and click to place it. When you have finished,
the drawing should look like the one at the
right.

Dimensioning Drawings with AutoCAD R Greenlee

4.00

8.00

4.00

Page |5

Next we will add width dimensions to the right view. We will use the left face
of the right view as a base datum and dimension from there. Click on the Linear
dimension button and create a dimension from the left face to the left side of the slot.
Next click on the arrow at the right side of the Continuous button and click on the
3.00

3.00

R2.00

R2.00

10.00
10.00
6.50
2.00

3.00

4.00

6.00

8.00

4.00

9.00

Baseline button. Use the same technique to dimension the height of the slot and the
height of the part. Add dimensions to the view until it looks like the figure below.

Dimension Size
Sometimes, the dimensions are either too large or too small. You can usually
fix the problem with the DIMSCALE command. The DIMSCALE command lets you
change the scale of the dimensioning size by specifying a scaling factor. A factor
greater than one makes the dimensions larger and a factor smaller than one makes
them smaller. Changing the scaling factor affects the size of the text, arrowheads, and
gap between the extension lines and the point selected for the dimension.
The DIMSCALE command is illustrated below. Here we are changing the
dimensioning scale from 1 the default value to 4 which will make the dimensions 4
times as large.
dimscale
Enter new value for DIMSCALE <1.0000>: 4

The DIMSCALE command will not change dimensions that have been drawn.
It only affects new dimensions. You must erase the old dimensions and recreate them
with the new dimensioning scale factor. You may have to try several different
dimensioning scales before getting the correct size for the dimensions.
More Dimensioning Problems

Dimensioning Drawings with AutoCAD R Greenlee

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Click here to
create the
dialog box

Click to
Modify the
settings

The DIMSCALE command will change the size of the dimensions but there
may be other problems. A frequent problem is the number of decimals shown in the
dimension. The AutoCAD default is 4 decimal places and frequently this is too many.
To change the number of decimal places and many other dimensioning problems, you
must open and make changes in the dimension style manager.
You open the dimension style manager by clicking on the small arrow to the
right of the dimension tab. This produces the dimension style dialog box. In this box
click on the Modify button then in subsequent dialog boxes, make appropriate
changes to the dimensioning.
We will not cover the dimension styles in detail here but we can point out
some of the more commonly used style components that can be changed. When you
click on the Modify button, the style manager opens. It is a dialog box with several
tabs at the top. Clicking on a tab changes the dialog box allowing you to change
different features of the dimension.
If you click on the Symbols and Arrows tab, the following dialog box will
be created. You can use this dialog box to change the size of arrowheads and the size
of the center marks for circles and arcs.

Change arrowhead size

Change center mark size

Dimensioning Drawings with AutoCAD R Greenlee

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You can change the text height used for dimension text with the dialog box
under the Text tab.

Text size

The number of decimals shown in the dimension can be changed with the
Primary Units tab.

Number of Decimals

Suppress trailing zeros

When you have made the changes you want to make, click on the OK button
at the bottom of the dialog box. The Style Manager dialog box will appear. Click
on the Set Current button then on the Close button. This will make the changes
you have made the current settings for AutoCAD.
You must erase and redraw the dimension to see the changes you have made.
Like many items in AutoCAD, the changes are not dynamic.
Dimensioning Drawings with AutoCAD R Greenlee

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Chapter 5 Sectional Views

There are a number of different types of sectional views that can be drawn. A
few of the more common ones are: full sections, half sections, broken sections, rotated
or revolved sections, removed sections, offset sections, and assembly sections. These
sectional views are very useful when there is geometry on the interior of a part that is
difficult to understand from looking at typical orthographic views. They are also very
useful in dimensioning the drawing. It is considered poor practice to dimension to a
hidden line and sectional views allow us to dimension the interior of a part without
dimensioning to hidden lines.
All of the various types of sectional views can be drawn with AutoCAD. A
typical example is shown below. Here we are using a full section to dimension much
of the object. Without this sectional view, we would be forced to dimension to hidden
lines.

3.0

Create Orthographic Drawing

2.5
2.0

You start this tutorial by drawing the

top and front third angle views of the object
shown on the right. The process is exactly
like the drawings we have done in the past so
it will not be covered here. Be sure to
dimension the views using the techniques we
used in a previous assignment.
The required layers are listed below
and shown in the figure at the top of the next
page.

1.5
1.0

4.0
3.0

Center centerlines
Cut cutting plane
Dim dimensions
Fold folding lines
Hatch cross hatching

Sectional Views in AutoCAD R Greenlee

2.0
1.0

Page |1

Hide hidden lines

Obj object lines
Proj projection lines

The exterior features of the object are

dimensioned in the front view but the interior
details are not. Dimensioning the interior
features would require dimensioning to hidden lines which is poor practiced. The
problem is eliminated by creating a sectional view which shows the interior details.
Once this view has been created, you can dimension the interior details in the
sectional view to complete the drawing.

Copy View to Be Cross Sectioned

Start the process by copying the front
view (third angle projection) of the object.
We will transform the copied front view into
the sectional view.
Before you start the COPY process,
make sure you have drawn the hidden and
center lines. Turn off the dimension layer
because you do not want to copy the
dimensions along with the front view. The
center and hidden lines must be visible
because they must be copied to the sectional
view we are creating.

3
1

Front View
Copy of Front View

COPY
Select objects:

Specify first corner:

Specify opposite corner:
Select objects:
Specify base point
Specify second point

{create a rectangular window around the

front view to select the entire view}
{1 - Click at a location to the left of and
below the entire view}
{2 - Click at a location to the right of and
above the entire view}
{Press Enter to end the selection
process}
{3 - Click on a point on the front view.
This is where you will grab the copy}
{4 -Drag the view to where you want it.
If ORTHO is on the view can only be
moved horizontally or vertically}

After copying the front view, turn dimension layer back on so the dimensions
will show in the front view.

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Modify Copy to Create Sectional View

We can now alter the copied front
view to create a half sectional view. We are
creating a half sectional view because the
object is symmetrical about the vertical axis
which makes it ideal for a half section. The
half section will show the left side of the
object as a normal orthographic view and the
right side as a sectional view.
First, use the TRIM command to
eliminate the interior lines that are not needed.
Use the centerline, hidden lines, and selected
object lines as the cutting planes to trim away
some of the interior lines. When you have
finished, your drawing should look like the
one on the right

Next, switch the current layer to the

object layer and draw over the hidden lines to
complete the outline of the sectional view.

We continue to work on this view by

deleting all of the hidden lines in the view
because we do not show hidden lines in
sectional views. This is easily done by
turning off all of the layers except for the
hidden lines then using the ERASE command
to delete all of the hidden lines belonging to
this view. When you have finished, turn the
layers back on. You should have a drawing
similar to the one on the right.

Sectional Views in AutoCAD R Greenlee

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Cross Hatching Sectional View

Now we can cross hatch the cut surfaces. This is a very simple process.
Switch the current layer to the Hatch layer and enter:
HATCH

This command brings up the ribbon shown below.

2. Select Pick Points

1. Select ANSI 31

AutoCAD can draw many different

types of cross hatching. The different types
can be used to indicate the material from
which the part is made. It is especially useful
in assembly sectional views where different
parts are made from different materials.
We have only one type of material so
we will just use a simple 45 cross hatch.
Click on the ANSI31 icon. This is the cross
hatch scheme we want to use. Next, click on
the Pick Points icon on the extreme left of the
ribbon. After you have clicked on the Pick
Points icon, click in the area of the drawing
where you want the cross hatching to appear.
AutoCAD can automatically cross
hatch any closed area. When you have
finished, the entire drawing should look like
the one on the right. All that remains is to
draw the cutting plane on the top view.

Click Here
to fill with
cross hatching

3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0

4.0
3.0
2.0

Drawing the Cutting Plane Lines

Switch to the Cut layer to draw the
cutting plane. The lines in this layer should
be a little wider than the object lines and the
linetype should be Phantom. A line width
of 0.5 mm seems to work well for many
drawings.
Start by drawing lines from the center
of the part to a point beyond the right side,
and a line from the center to a point below the
outer circle in the top view. The exact length
of the lines is not important. Turn OSNAP
and ORTHO on then draw the lines with the
mouse. Note that the dimensions in the top
Sectional Views in AutoCAD R Greenlee

1.0

3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0

4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0

Page |4

view had to be relocated to accommodate the cutting plane. The results are shown at
the right.
Cutting Plane Arrowheads
Now we can add the arrowhead to the end of the cutting plane. Surprisingly
enough, AutoCAD does not provide an automatic facility for doing this. We will use
the multileader facility to draw the arrowheads.
These arrowheads should be a little larger than the ones used for dimensioning
and we will make them twice as large. Start by entering the command:
mleaderstyle

This will produce the dialog box

shown on the right. This dialog box is used to
define leader styles. We will use it to define a
new style so that we can produce the
arrowheads we need.
Click on the New button to create a
new multileader style. This opens the dialog
box shown on the right.
Enter Cutting for the new style name
and start with Standard which is the current
multileader style. Be sure to mark the
Annotative box at the bottom of the dialog
box. When you have finished, click on the
Continue button.
The program displays the dialog box
used to modify the style. Click on the
Leader Format tab then change the
arrowhead size to 0.36. This is twice the size
of the arrowheads used for the dimensioning.
Arrowhead
Size

Next, click on the Leader Structure

tab to produce the dialog box shown on the
right. In this dialog box, make sure the
Automatically include landing box is not
marked. The landing is a small horizontal line
that is automatically drawn at the end of the
leader line. We do not want or need this line.

Sectional Views in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Turn this off

Page |5

Click on the Content tab and set the

Multileader type to None. Normally, the
program would allow text to be typed at the
end of the leader. In this case, we just want
the arrowhead without any text, so we set this
field to none. After you have completed these
changes, click on the OK button at the bottom of the dialog box.

Set to None

The program returns to the Multileader

1 Select Cutting
Style Manager dialog box. Make sure that
Cutting is selected in the left window then
click on the Set Current button. This makes
the new multileader style that we have created,
2 Select Set Current
the current style that will be used. When you
have finished, click on the Close button at
3 Click Close
the bottom of the screen. We are now ready to
draw the arrowheads.
Two arrowheads are required. One is
horizontal pointing to the left and the other is
vertical pointing up. Click on the
Multileader button in the Home ribbon
and draw horizontal and vertical leaders.
Multileader button
These can be drawn with the mouse if ORTHO
is on. See the figure on the right.
Arrowhead
Next, use the MOVE command to
move the arrowheads to the ends of the cutting
plane lines. If OSNAP is on, you can easily do
this with the mouse.
We can now complete the drawing by using the DTEXT command to write an
A at the end of each of these arrowheads then write Section A-A below the
sectional view we have created. Next we add dimensions to the sectional view
showing the location of interior features. The completed drawing is shown below.

3.0
2.5
2.0

1.5
1.0

4.0
3.5
3.0

3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0

Section A-A

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Chapter 6 Title Blocks

In previous exercises, every drawing started by creating a number of layers.
This is time consuming and unnecessary. In this exercise, we will start a drawing by
defining layers and making a number of useful settings then we will save the file.
This file will be the start for subsequent drawings. You will use the file by opening it
each time you want to start a new drawing then using the Save As to save the
drawing as a different file. This method will eliminate much of the setup time
required for each drawing.
We will also look at creating drawings with a border and title block. Most
engineering drawings have borders and title blocks that name the part in the drawing;
tell when it was drawn; and who did the drawing. We will create drawings with this
type of title block.
Standard Drawing Sheet
Most of the parts we draw are measured in millimeters so we need to setup
AutoCAD to work in those units. By default, it is setup to working in inches which is
not particularly useful here. Start AutoCAD and once it has started, click on the large
red A in the upper left corner to open the menu shown below.
Drawing Units
Next, click on Drawing Utilities then on Units. This opens the dialog box
shown below.
3SetPrecision
to2decimals

2Clickon
Units

1ClickonDrawing
Utilities

4Setthe
Unitsto
millimeters

TitleBlocksinAutoCADRGreenlee

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Layers
The next step is to create all of the layers you think you might need. You can
always come back and add new layers but in our studies so far, we have defined
layers for objects, centerlines, projection lines, dimensioning, hidden lines, cutting
planes, folding lines, and cross hatching. These layers should be created at this time
as shown in the layer definition box above.

Model Plotting Page Setup

Since we are creating a starter file that will contain most of the settings we
normally make, we can save some time by setting the page size and plotting options.
Click on the red A in the upper left corner of the AutoCAD window and then click
on Print then Page Setup as shown below in the diagram on the left. This brings
up the page setup manager. If we had several different printers, we could define a
different page for each printer. We have only Adobe PDF so we will modify the
definition for the *Model* page. Make sure the *Model* line is highlighted then
click on the Modify button.

1ClickonPrint

3 ClickonModify

2ClickonPageSetup

TitleBlocksinAutoCADRGreenlee

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Clicking on Modify brings up the

setup for *Model* which is shown below. In
this dialog box we will make several changes
as listed below.

2
4

1. Select Adobe PDF for the name of the

Printer/Plotter.
2. Set the paper size to A4
3. Select Limits at the Plot area
4. Make sure Fit to paper is checked
5. Select mm as the units
6. Click on OK when you have finished

5
6

Clicking on OK returns the program to the Page Setup Manager dialog box
shown above. Click on Close in that dialog box to dismiss it.
Layout Setup
The drawings we have been creating are generated in what is called Model
Space. In Model Space we use the actual dimensions of the part we are drawing.
Using actual sizes makes it very easy to dimension. The dimensions automatically
created by AutoCAD are the actual dimensions of the part.
Engineering drawings are usually plotted on a sheet of paper and that sheet of
paper has different dimensions from the part. To accommodate the fixed size of the
sheet of paper, the image of the part is scaled to fit on the paper.

To make the changes, you need to

switch to the Layout sheet. You can do this
by clicking on the Layout1 tab. The screen
will change and show the layout. The layout
is similar to the print preview except that you
have the ability to add information and adjust
what is displayed and its size.

Clickonthe
Layouttab

We must first define the paper size and printer used for printing the layout.
We use a method similar to the one used to define the paper size for printing the
model. Click on the big red A then on

Print Page Setup

That produces the dialog box shown below. It is similar to the one used to
select the model printing setup we selected before but this time we are selecting the
layout printing setup.

TitleBlocksinAutoCADRGreenlee

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ClickonModify

4
3

Click on Modify in the Page Setup Manager then in the Page Setup
dialog box make the following changes.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Select Adobe PDF for the printer

Select an A4 paper size
Select Layout as what to plot
Select a scale of 1:1
Click on OK when you have made all of the changes.

When you have finished click on Close in the Page Setup Manager to
return to the layout screen. At this point we are going to save the AutoCAD file we
are working on and draw a title. Use a name like Startup_Drawing_A4.
Remember from now on, you will start a drawing by opening this file then
immediately use Save As to save the file under a new name. You will actually
create your drawing in this new file. The Startup_Drawing_A4 file will not be
changed.

Creating the Title Block

Next we are going to create the border and title block that you will use on
subsequent drawings. You have just saved the start up file and we are going to use
Save As to save it again. This time use the name Title Block for the name of the
file.
1. Click on Model tab at the bottom left of the window.
2. Next create a new Layer called Title. This layer should have a
continuous linetype, a dark color, and be approximately 0.5 mm thick.
3. Make this new layer the current layer.
Next we will draw the page borders. An A4 page is 297 mm wide and 210
mm high. We will make the page borders a little smaller than the. That will leave
some room at the edge of the paper that does not have printing. We will make the
borders 270 mm wide and 190 mm high. Start by typing:

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Line
Specify
Specify
Specify
Specify
Specify

first point: 0,0

next point or [Undo]: @270,0
next point or [Undo]: @0,190
next point or [Close/Undo]: @-270,0
next point or [Close/Undo]: c

When you have finished, you will have

a drawing like the one on the right.
Next, we will draw actual title block.
This is the area where we will write:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Your name
Your student number
The date the drawing was made
The page number
The total number of pages in the set of drawings
The part name

We can create most of the title block

using the OFFSET command. First we will
create two new horizontal lines across the
bottom of the sheet. These new lines will be
10 mm apart.

10
10

Offset
Specify offset distance: 10
Select object to offset <Exit>:
Specify point on side to offset:

{Spacing}
{click on bottom line of the title block}
{click above the bottom line to place the
offset line}
{Click on the line you just created}
{Click above the new line to create
another offset line}
{Press Enter to end the command}

Select object to offset:

Specify point on side to offset:
Select object to offset:

The sheet border with the new offset horizontal lines is shown above on the
right. We now want to draw vertical lines to break up the title block area into parts
for the six items listed above. Again we will use the OFFSET command. We will
create a vertical line 135 mm from the left side. This line will be in the middle of the
page which is 270 mm wide.

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Offset
Specify offset distance: 135
Select object to offset:
Specify point on side to offset:

{Offset distance}
{Click on the left border of the page}
{Click in the page border to the right of
the left side}
{Press Enter}

Select object to offset:

Now we will repeat the process by offsetting the line we just created 70 mm to
the right. This will approximately divide the right half of the page into halves.
Offset
Specify offset distance: 70
Select object to offset:

{Offset distance}
{Select the line in the middle of the page
we just created}
{Click to the right of the line}
{Press Enter}

Specify point on side to offset:

Select object to offset:

When you have finished, you should

have a drawing similar to the one on the right.
Your drawing, of course does not have the
dimensions showing the spacing between the
lines.

270
135

70

190

10
10

Next use the TRIM command to

remove the unnecessary lines so that the final
drawing looks like the one on the right.

Now you can write your name and other information into the title block at the
bottom of the page. We will use the MTEXT command to do this writing. It has some
features that make it particularly good for filling in blanks. First we need to change
some of the text style settings. Click on the Annotate tab then click on the small
arrow to the right of the pull down tab as shown in the figure below on the right.

AnnotateTab
Clickonarrow
TitleBlocksinAutoCADRGreenlee

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This will open the Text Style dialog

box shown on the right. Under the Size
make sure Annotative is marked. Next you
want to set the Paper Text Height to 4.0.
You might need to set it to something smaller
if your name is especially long. When you
have made the changes, click on Set
Current then on Apply.

Annotative

Apply

PaperText
Height

Now you are ready to write the text. You can start with your name. Enter:
Mtext
Current text style: "Standard"
Text height: 4.00 Annotative:
Specify first corner:
Specify opposite corner:

Yes
{click the intersection at point 1}
{Click the intersection at point 2}

At this point, a text alignment scale appears and establish how the text will be
justified and where it will start.

3Movetopand
bottomtext
pointersoverone
spacetotheright.

1 ClickJustification
2 SelectMiddleLeft

Once you have made these changes,

enter: Drawn by: Your Name as shown
below. When you have finished entering your
name, click somewhere away from the text to
terminate the command.

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Continue with the Mtext command until the title block looks like the one
below. You should insert your name, your student ID, a space labeled date and other
information as shown below.

When you have finished with these changes be sure and save your drawing.
Also make sure you DO NOT save it as the Startup Drawing.
Creating Blocks
A block is a collection of lines, arcs,
text, and other graphics that have been
grouped together. In essence the collection
becomes a single entity. This single entity can
be written as a file then inserted into other
drawings and that is exactly what we are
going to do with the page borders and title
block we have just created. Type Block
and the dialog box show at the right appears.

2
3
4
6

1. Enter a Name for the block. I like to add the _BLK to the name to
distinguish it as a block.
2. Mark the Retain radio button
3. Mark the Annotative check box
4. Mark the Allow exploding check box
5. Click on the Select Objects button. The dialog box will disappear
and you can select everything you have drawn by typing
All
Select objects: all
Select objects:

{type the word all}

{Press Enter}

6. Click on OK

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Next we are going to write this block

to a file so that we can add it to the drawings
that we created. Type the command wblock
and the Write Block dialog box shown on
the right will appear.
1. Mark the Block radio button
2. Locate the block name for the
block we have just created in
the pull down list.
3. Check the path for the
filename to make sure it is on
your flash drive.
4. Make sure that the units are
Millimeters.
5. Click on OK.

3
4
5

We are ready to insert this block into the drawings that we create. We can do
that by inserting it into the startup file we created, Startup_Drawing_A4.

ClickHere

Inserting the Title Block into a Drawing

Close the file you used to create the
sheet borders and title block and open the start
up file, Startup_Drawing_A4. When it
opens, click on the Layout1 tab in the lower
left corner of the window as shown on the
right.
Next we insert the block containing the
sheet page which we wrote as a file. Enter:

Insert
1. Make sure that Specify onscreen is marked
2. Click on Browse to find the
block file
When you click on Browse, a dialog
box will open allowing you to select the name
of the block we created.
3. Click on the file name
4. Click on Open to open the
file
5. Click on OK in the insert
dialog box
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5

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AutoCAD will allow you to position the page borders and title block on the
screen. Move the mouse until it is centered in the white area of the screen and click.
The process is shown in the two figures below. The figure on the left shows the title
block being moved and the figure on the right shows it positioned on the page.

DragCorners

tohere

The gridded area is called the viewport. The drawings you create are shown in
this view port. We need to adjust the size of the viewport. Click on the green border
to produce the blue grips as shown in the figure on the right. Drag these grips to the
corners of the drawing area as shown in the figure.
We are almost finished. When you create a drawing, you will want to add text
to the title block. You will want to enter the correct date, the name of the part, and the
sheet number. These things change with every drawing. At the moment, the title
block is saved as a block, which is a single entity. Individual parts of the block
cannot be edited. We need to explode the block before we edit it.
Enter:
Explode
Select objects:
Select objects:

{Click on the title block}

{Press Enter}

You can now change the text in the title block with the ddedit command.
You will want to change the text for each new you create.
We have finished with the standard drawing file so you should save it. You
might want to make several copies of it in case one of the copies gets lost or
accidently used in a drawing.
Using the Standard Drawing File
When you use the standard sheet:
1. Open the standard drawing sheet Startup_Drawing_A4.
2. Immediately use Save As to save the sheet using the name of the
drawing you want to create
3. Click on the Model Tab and draw the part as usual. Note that all of the
layers, linetypes, and other typical setup information have already been
created for you.
4. When you are finished with the drawing, click on the Layout1 tab to
go to the layout page.
TitleBlocksinAutoCADRGreenlee

P a g e |10

5. Click in the center of the graphics area until the green viewport border
appears.
6. Use the command zoom all to bring the drawing into the viewport
area.
7. Use the mouse to move the drawing around the viewport until it is
properly positioned.
8. Use the ddedit command to edit the text in the title block.
9. Print the page when you have finished all of the changes. Your print
should look like the sheet shown in the Layout1 window.
10. Save all of your work.
Assignment

Go through this chapter and create the startup page described here. Once that
is completed, draw problems 9.48 and 9.49 on the following page.

TitleBlocksinAutoCADRGreenlee

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Chapter 7 Isometric Drawings

In this assignment, we are going to

look at creating isometric drawings with
AutoCAD. These drawing appear to be three
dimensional but they are not. An AutoCAD
isometric drawing is a 2 dimensional drawing
just like a paper drawing.
AutoCAD provides some tools to aid
us in creating the drawing, but not very many.
Mostly, we will be using the same commands
that we used in creating orthographic
drawings.
We are going to draw the figure shown on the right. We will use the dimensions
shown on the figure and make a drawing that is dimensionally correct as we have done in
the past.
We will start by drawing an isometric box that makes up the main body of the
object. From there, we will add the semicircular hole at the bottom and the half cylinder
at the top.
The first thing we need to do is to put AutoCAD in the isometric mode. This
mode is entered through the SNAP command.
SNAP
ON/OFF/Rotate/Stype <1.000>
Standard/Isometric
Vertical Spacing <1.000>
SNAP
ON/OFF/Snap

OFF

S
I
.4

{Put into isometric mode}

{Stop snapping to grid points}

Now we can draw the left face of the

box. Use the LINE command and click on the
lower right corner of the right face of the box.
We will use polar coordinates to make the
lines at 30 degree angles.
LINE
From Point:

To
To
To
To

Point:
Point:
Point:
Point:

{Click on the screen

where you want the
object to start}
@5<150
@2.5<90
@5<330
C

Isometric Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Start here
Page |1

Next draw the right face of the box. In

one of the earlier lessons, we turned on the
snapping to the endpoint of a line with the
OSNAP command. You can achieve the same
thing by typing end when the program is
expecting a point. Press return after typing end
then click on the end point of a line, arc, or circle.

End here

Start here

LINE
From Point: end
of
To Point:
To Point:
To Point:

{type this to tell the program that you want to use the end point of a line
to start the new line that you are drawing}
{click on the starting point above}

@2.5<30
@2.5<90
@2.5<210

The top of the box will be drawn next.

We will start with the top right corner of the
box we have just finished drawing.

Stop here

Start here

LINE
From Point: end
of
{click on upper right point of box}
To Point:
@5<150
To Point:
end
of
{complete point by clicking on end of the correct point}

When you have finished, you should have a box like the one shown on the right.
Next we need to draw the arcs making up the object. These are actually ellipses
because of the isometric view. We use the ELLIPSE command to draw them. AutoCAD
does not draw elliptical arcs but it does draw complete ellipses and we can trim these to
create elliptical arcs. We will start with the arc at the bottom of the box shown in the
Isometric Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Page |2

picture at the right. Use the CTRL E key

combination to change the mouse pointer so that
the lines are parallel with the edges of the right
face (<Isoplane right>).
ELLIPSE
<axis end point
1>/Center/Isocircle:

Midpoint of
Line
Isocircle

{We want the center of the Isocircle to be at the midpoint of the

line}
of
{select the line at the bottom of the right face}
<Circle radius>/Diameter:.75
Center of circle: MID

Now we can erase the part of the ellipse we do not need with the TRIM command.
TRIM
Select cutting edge(s)...
Select objects:
{select the line}
Select objects to trim: {select bottom of circle}
TRIM
Select
Select
Select
Select

cutting edges ...

objects:
{select upper half of isocircle}
object to trim
{Select the line through the isocircle}
object to trim

Cutting
edge
Part to
trim

Isometric Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Cutting
edge
Part to
trim

Page |3

We need to add a line at the bottom edge

of the arc. We can do this by drawing a line that is
too long then trimming it with the TRIM
command. This will complete the bottom part of
the object.

Add
this line

LINE
From point: END
of
{select end of arc}
To point:
@3<150
TRIM

{Select the arc as the cutting surface and trim the line that we have just drawn. The
arc and line are shown in the figure below}

We must start on the half cylinder that intersects the top of the block. We will do
this by drawing four ellipses along the side of the block. Use the CTRL E command to
place the mouse pointer lines parallel to the edges of the left face of the box.
ELLIPSE
<Axis endpoint 1>/Center/Isocircle:
Center of circle:
of
<Circle radius>/Diameter:

Isometric Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

I
MID
{Select top left edge of box}
1

Page |4

Repeat the ELLIPSE command to create

the larger, 3 inch diameter ellipse then repeat it
two more times to create the ellipses on the other
side of the box. After you have draw the ellipses,
trim their tops with the TRIM command. Use the
edges of the box as the cutting planes. The figure
on the right shows the isocircles after
trimming.

The next step is to form the ends of the half cylinder shape. We can do this by
moving the inside diameter arcs to the ends of the cylinder and copying the outside
diameter arcs to the ends of the cylinder.
MOVE
Select objects:
{Select the inner circles on the left side}
Base point or displacement:
END
of
{Select the end of the inside arc}
Second point of displacement: @.75<210

Repeat this command for the other side and move the inside arc .75 inches at an
angle of 30 degrees.
Next copy the outside diameter arcs to their end positions on the cylinder. You
can do this with the COPY command.
COPY
Select objects:
<Base point of displacement>:
of

{Select the outer arc on the left side of the

object}
END
{Select the end of the arc}

Second point of displacement:

@.75<210

Move these
Copy the arc on the other side of the
object using a similar command sequence. When
you finish you should have the picture shown on
the right.

Copy these

Isometric Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Page |5

Use the TRIM and the ERASE commands

to remove the edges of the box that cannot be seen.

Tangent here

Near here
Next, we will draw the line tangent to the
arcs. This line forms the outside edge of the
cylinder. Press CTRL E until the mouse pointer
lines are parallel to the right face of the box and then type:
LINE
Point from: NEAR
of
Point to:
of

{Click on one of the arcs as close as you can to the tangent

point.. You may have to zoom in on the arc to select it.}

TAN
{Select the other arc. You should move the mouse pointer as
close to the tangent point as possible.}

Finally we do a little more trimming and erasing of the arcs on the cylinder and
we have the finished drawing shown below.
We can now place the view on the drawing sheet by selecting the Layout1 tab
at the bottom of the screen and following the procedures we discussed in Chapter 6.

Isometric Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Page |6

Difficult Curves
Sometimes when drawing an isometric view, the curves that you must draw
cannot be drawn with an ellipse. A simple example is shown in the drawing below.

The curve where the cylinder meets the

curved surface cannot be drawn with a simple
ellipse or ellipse. It can be drawn however and
we will illustrate it with the object shown above.
Start by drawing simple isometric object
like the one shown on the right. Use the drawing
above for the dimensions of this box.

Isometric Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Page |7

Next we will add two ellipses to either

side. The ellipses have a radius of 4.00. The
object with the ellipses is shown on the right.

When you have completed the ellipses,

trim them so that only the parts that are edges of
the object are remaining. The edges of the box
can be used as the cutting planes.

Next, draw lines connecting the ends of

the ellipse segment. These can be easily drawn
with the mouse. OSNAP should be set to ON so
that the mouse pointer will snap to the ends of the
ellipse segments.

Isometric Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Page |8

The cylinder intersects the top plane of

the object, and we can draw ellipses at the
intersection. The large one has a radius of 2 and
the smaller one has a radius of 1. After drawing
the ellipses, trim the larger one and the line
passing through its center. This is illustrated in
the drawing on the right.
When you draw the ellipses, you can use
the MID command to locate the center of the
ellipses at the midpoint of the line passing
through their centers.

ellipse
Specify axis endpoint of ellipse or [Arc/Center/Isocircle]: i
Specify center of isocircle: mid
of
Specify radius of isocircle or [Diameter]: 2

Construction line
We can now draw a construction line to
help us determine the intersection of the cylinder
and the curved surface. Switch to the projection
layer and add a line that connects the two corners
of the box.
We are going to create evenly spaced
construction lines perpendicular to and along the
length of the construction line we have just
crated. We will use these lines to help us create a
tessellated surface on the cylinder which we can
intersect with a tessellated surface on the
intersecting curve.
We start by creating 10 equally spaced points along the line. This is done with
the DIVIDE command. Points are very small and you will probably not be able to see
them, just accept the fact that they are there.
divide
Select object to divide:
Enter the number of segments: 10

Isometric Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

{Click on the construction line we have just

created}
{Enter 10 and press return}

Page |9

Next, we will turn on snapping to points

so that AutoCAD can use these 10 equally spaced
points as the beginning point of lines needed to
construct the tessellated surface. Enter OSNAP to
produce the dialog box shown on the right. Click
on the Node snap mode then click on OK.
Turn ORTHO on and use CTRL-E until
the mouse pointer has a line parallel to the back
of the object we are drawing. Use the line
command to draw the line. The results are shown
below.

line
Specify first point:
Specify next point or [Undo]:

Specify next point or [Undo]:

Snap to Node

{Move the mouse over to the first point we

created and click}
{Extend a line parallel to the back of the
object until it crosses the line connecting to
the ellipses we drew}
{Press Enter}

New Line

Isometric Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

P a g e | 10

Now we can copy this line creating a new line at each of the 10 points we created.
Copy
Select objects:
Select objects:
Current settings: Copy mode = Single
Specify base point or
[Displacement/mOde/Multiple] O
Enter a copy mode option
[Single/Multiple] <Single>: M
Specify base point:
Specify second point:

{1 Click on line}
{Press enter}
{The current copy mode is Single.
Enter O to change the mode}
{Enter M to change the mode to
Multiple}
{2 Click on base of line}
{3 Click on next point. Continue
the process until all of the lines are
drawn.}

The results are shown on the right.

1
2

Next we will extend lines down starting at

the intersection of the lines we have just created
and the cylinder. Use CTRL-E until one of the
mouse pointer lines is vertical and draw the lines
with the mouse. You only need to draw vertical
lines where the construction lines cross the larger
ellipse on the top of the object. The results are
shown on the right.

Isometric Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

P a g e | 11

Now we will copy the curves along the curved surface. These are can be created
with the copy command.
copy
Select objects:
Select objects:
Current settings: Copy mode = Multiple
Specify base point:
Specify second point:

{1 Click on the curve}

{Press Enter}
{2 Click on the center of the arc}
{3 Click on the first point we
created. Continue the process until
you have created all of the curves.}
{Press Enter}

Specify second point:

The results are shown on the right.

Now we can connect the intersections of
the curves we have just created with the vertical
lines we created in the previous step to generate
the intersection of the two curved surfaces. We
will use the PLINE command to create this line.
The PLINE command creates a poly line that can
be smoothed to generate a more realistic surface.
Switch to the object layer before you
create this line. A significant amount of care
must be exercised to make sure the correct
vertical line connects to the correct curve.
pline
Specify
Current
Specify
Specify
Specify
Specify

start point:
line-width is 0.00
next point:
next point:
next point:
next point:

{1}
{2}
{3}
{4}
{5}

Specify next point:

{6}
Specify next point: tan {Tangent point
to curve}

Tangent

2
3

Isometric Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

P a g e | 12

Next, we need to remove all of the construction lines. The straight lines were
drawn in the projection layer so these can easily be turned off. The curves, were copied
so they are in the object layer. We can either erase them or we can change their layer to
the construction layer. This can be done with the CHANGE command. The CHANGE
command can be used to change many different attributes, but we will use it just to
change the layer.
change
Select objects: 1 found

Select objects:
Specify change point or [Properties]: P
Enter property to change
[Color/LAyer/LType/ltScale/Thickness]: LA
Enter new layer name <Iso>: Proj
Enter property to change
[Color/LAyer/LType/ltScale/Thickness]:

{Select each of the curves that

were used as construction
lines}
{Press Enter}
{Enter P to change the
properties}
{We are changing the layer}
{The new layer is Proj}

Now that we have changed the curves to the Proj layer, we can turn them off.
The resulting drawing is shown on the left. The drawing on the right shows the object
after trimming the horizontal and vertical lines on either side of the object.

The drawing on the right looks reasonable, but the curve at the intersection of the
two surfaces that we generated is not as smooth as it should be. We can use the PEDIT
command to smooth the line.

Isometric Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

P a g e | 13

PEDIT
Select polyline or [Multiple]:
Enter an option [ /Fit/Spline/ ]: S
Enter an option [ /Fit/Spline/ ]:

{Click on the pline}

{Use the Spline option}
{Press Enter}

There are two options that allow you to smooth the curve. One is Fit and the
other is Spline. The Fit option fits a smooth curve through the vertices of the
original PLINE and the Spline option smoothes the curve but does not force the line
through the vertices. You might want to try both of these options and pick the line that
looks the best.
The finished drawing is shown below.

Isometric Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

P a g e | 14

8 Working Drawings in AutoCAD

Most engineering designs consist of more than a single part. Usually there are
a several or many parts that must fit and work together. When we are creating the
drawings of a design, we must create dimensioned drawings of each part so that they
can be manufactured correctly and we must also show how the parts fit together so
they can be assembled correctly.
The drawing of a single part is called a detailed drawing. It contains one or
more orthographic views of the object, dimensions and possibly sectional and
isometric views. In essence, a detailed drawing may contain all of the elements we
have been studying this semester. An example of a detailed drawing is shown below.

The drawing above shows two parts. Each part is shown in two different
views, a front and a top view using a third angle projection. This is a detailed
drawing of the two parts. It contains sufficient information to build the parts. It does
not tell us how to assemble the parts. That is shown in the drawing below.

Bill of materials

Exploded
assembly
view

Assembled
view
Balloons
numbering
the parts

Assembly Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Page |1

Note: The assembly views in the drawing above are shown as

isometric or pictorial views. This is usually not done in
AutoCAD drawings. AutoCAD assembly views are usually
orthographic because of the difficulty in drawing pictorial
views.
The Bill of Materials (BOM) lists all of the parts needed to make the machine.
Each part is numbered in the BOM and the same number is used in the balloons that
point to each part. The bill of materials lists the part number, the name of the part,
and the material from which the part is made.
Both exploded and unexploded assembly views are shown in this particular
example but if the assembly can be fully explained with a single view, then only one
view need be shown. The view may be similar to one of the ones in the drawing
above or it may be a sectional view. Sectional assembly views are especially useful if
some parts are inside of housings or are concealed from view.
A set of working drawings consists of a detailed drawing for each part that
must be manufactured and sufficient assembly drawings to explain how the parts are
assembled.
Detailed Drawings
The first step in creating a set of working drawings is to create the detailed
drawings showing each part. Here you usually show a front view and possibly other
views (top view, right side view, left side view, etc.) if they are required to fully
describe the geometry. Sectional views and isometric views may also be included if
the geometry is not easily understood from the orthographic projections. Dimensions
are included on these drawings so the part can be manufactured correctly. The title
block on the drawing should contain the name of the part and this should be the same
name used in the Bill of Materials.
After the detailed views are drawn, you can create the assembly drawings.
These drawings are created by combining views from the detailed drawings to show
how the parts are assembled. The process involves several simple steps.
1. First you need to create the assembly drawing. You can do this by opening the
Standard_A4 drawing sheet (You may have named it differently.) Once it is
open, remember to use Save as to save the drawing under a different name.
I usually use the abbreviation _ASM as the last characters in the file name
so that I will know that this is an assembly drawing.
2. Open the detailed drawing to show the view of the part you want to insert into
the assembly drawing.
3. Turn off all layers that are not needed in the view so that what is left can be
easily selected. Dimensions and projection lines are not usually shown in
assembly drawings so these layers should be turned off.
4. Select the view you want to copy to the assembly drawing by dragging a box
around it with the mouse. Move the mouse to a location to the left and above
the view and click. Next, move the mouse to a location to the right and below
the view and click again. AutoCAD will select all of the objects in the view.
Assembly Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Page |2

AutoCAD Selects Lines

1 Click here with mouse
2 Click here with mouse
5. Hold down the CTRL key and press the C key. This will copy everything you
have selected to the program clipboard.
6. Next, you switch from the detailed drawing to the assembly drawing you are
creating. You can do this by clicking on the big red A in the upper right
corner and select the assembly drawing in the list of open files.
7. Paste the view from the detailed drawing into the assembly drawing by
holding down the CTRL key and pressing the V key. Use the mouse to move
the view to a convenient location then click to complete the copy.
8. Repeat this process for all of the parts in the assembly. When you have
finished, you should have a drawing containing copies of all of the parts in the
assembly. The figure below shows a bracket that is used to bolt two plates
together. We will use this as an example.

Building the Assembly

After the parts have been
copied to the assembly drawing, we
can arrange them so that they are
oriented correctly. We start by
connecting Parts 4 and 5. Use the
MOVE command to move Part 4 so
that points A and B are at the
same location. Point A is located at
the intersection of the centerline and
the bottom of Part 4 and point B is
located at the intersection of the
centerline and the top of Part 5.

Assembly Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

4
A

3
B
5

Page |3

MOVE
Select objects: w
Specify first corner:
Specify opposite corner:
Select objects:
Specify base point
Specify second point

{Part 4 will be selected with a window}

{Click above and to the left of Part 4}
{Click below and t the right of Part 4}
{Press enter the selection is complete}
{Click on Point A at the intersection of the hole
centerline and the bottom of Part 4}
{Click on Point B at the intersection of the hole
centerline and the top of Part 5

The resulting placement is

shown in the figure on the right.
C

Next we will align point C

with point D. Point C is located at
the intersection of the centerline with
the right side of Part 1. Point D is
located at the intersection of the
centerline and the left side of Part 4 as
shown in the figure on the right. Here
again, use the MOVE command to
move Part 1 into the correct location.

Assembly Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Page |4

Next, create a copy of the bolt

and insert the copy into the vertical
hole. The copy is created with the
COPY command as shown below.

Copy bolt to here

COPY
Select objects: W
Specify first corner:
Specify opposite corner:
Specify base point:
Specify second point

{select the bolt with a window}

{click above and to the left of the bolt}
{click below and to the right of the bolt}
{select a point on the bolt}
{select a point away from all other objects to place
the bolt}
Specify second point or [Exit/Undo] <Exit>:
{press enter}

The results of the copy are shown in the figure above. The bolt on the right
will be rotated 90 degrees clockwise and inserted into the hole. The first step is to
rotate the bolt which is done with the ROTATE command. This command also
requires that you select all of the objects to be rotates and you can again use the W
option to create a selection window. When you rotate the bolt, be careful not to rotate
it over another part. You can control the rotation by picking a base point (center of
rotation) that is near the end of the bolt
ROTATE
Select objects: W
Specify first corner:
Specify opposite corner:
Select objects:
Specify base point:

Specify rotation angle: -90

{click above and to the left of the bolt}

{click below and to the right of the bolt}
{press enter}
{click near the bottom to keep the bolt from rotating
over another part. In this case pick point 1}
{the angle is negative because the rotation is
clockwise}

Now we insert the bolt into the vertical hole. Use the MOVE command and
select a mid point on the bolt head (point 1) and the intersection of the centerline and
the top of the hole (point 2) as the base point and the second point in the MOVE
command.
MOVE
Select objects:
W
Specify first corner:
Specify opposite corner:
Select objects:

{upper left}
{lower right}
{press enter}

Assembly Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Page |5

Specify base point:

Specify second point:

mid

{enter mid and select point 1}

{let OSNAP find the intersection of the top of the
hole and the centerline point 2}

When you have finished, your drawing should resemble the one shown above
on the right.

Next copy the nut, rotate it -90

degrees, and place it on the bolt as shown in
the figure at the right. You can use the COPY,
ROTATE, and MOVE commands just as you
did for the bolt. The resulting drawing is
shown on the right.

Some of the interior lines of the bolt, should be changed to hidden lines. You
can make these changes with the CHANGE command.
CHANGE
{Select the lines that should be changed to the hidden layer}
Select objects: 1 found
Select objects: 1 found, 2 total
Select objects: 1 found, 3 total
Select objects:
Specify change point or
[Properties] ]: P
Enter property to change
[Color/Elev/LAyer/LType/ : LA
Enter new layer name <Object>:
Enter property to change
[Color/Elev/LAyer/LType/ :

Assembly Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

{press enter}
{we are changing the properties}
{we want to change the layer}
hidden
{press enter}

Page |6

The bolt with hidden lines with

correct hidden lines is shown on the
right.
These lines
were changed
to HIDDEN

Continuing moving and

rotating parts until the parts are fully
assembled and your drawing looks like
the one on the right.

Assembly Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Page |7

Creating Balloons
Next, we need to create the
balloons that identify parts. Balloons
are called leaders in AutoCAD and we
must first define balloon style leaders
before we can draw them. Start by
typing:

Click on New

mleaderstyle

This produces the dialog box on the

right. Click on the New button to
create a new leader style.
3
1. Enter Balloons for
the name of the new
leader style we are
creating.

2. Mark the
Annotative check
box.
3. Click on Continue.

4
Next we define how the new
multileader will look in the dialog box
shown on the right.

1
2

1. Click on the Content tab

2. Select Block for the
multileader type

3. Select Circle for the source

block
4. Select the Leader Structure
tab

Assembly Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Page |8

The settings in the Leader

Structure tab are:

4
1. Mark the Maximum leader 3
point check box.
5
2. Set the number to 2
7
3. Mark the Second segment
angle check box
6
9
4. Set the angle to 0
5. Mark Automatically include
8
landing
6. Mark Set landing distance
7. Set the landing distance to 1.5 or what seems reasonable. This is a personal
preference.
8. Mark Annotative
9. Click OK

In the Multileader Style

Manager dialog box:

1. Make sure Balloons is

highlighted.
2. Click on Set Current
3. Click on Close

Now you are ready to draw the leaders. Change the layer to Dimension
layer and create the balloons by clicking on:
1. Click on the Annotate tab at the top of the window
2. Click on the Multileader icon in the annotate ribbon at the top of the
window.
3. Click at a point on a part where
you want the leader to start
4. Click where you want the
balloon to be placed
5. Enter the number of the part.
1

Repeat the process above until

all of the parts have been numbered.
When you have finished, your drawing
should look like the one on the right.
The numbers may appear a little small
but they are annotative and will have
an appropriate size on the drawing
sheet.

Assembly Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

Page |9

Placing on the Sheet

Next we will place the drawing on the sheet. We do this using the same
technique we have used before. Click on:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Click on the Layout1 tab at the bottom of the window.

Double click in the drawing area to activate the viewport.
Enter the command zoom all
Use the mouse to drag the drawing to the correct location. Size the drawing
by scrolling the wheel on the mouse.
5. If the arrowheads are too small, correct their size by modifying the
Multileader style. Use the Leader Format tab to change the size of the
arrowheads.
The drawing should be located
as shown in the figure on the right.
The assembly is placed on the left side
of the drawing sheet to leave room for
the bill of materials.

Bill of Materials
Next we will create the bill of materials (BOM). The bill of materials is a
table that lists:
1.
2.
3.
4.

The part number

The part name
The number of parts required for the complete assembly
The material from which the part is made. The material is not listed for
purchased parts such as bolts, nuts, etc.

You can create the table with the TABLE command or you can just draw it. It is
frequently simpler to just draw it and that is what we are going to do. We will use the
OFFSET command to create this table.

Assembly Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

P a g e | 10

OFFSET
Specify offset distance: 10
Select object to offset:
Specify point on side to offset
or [Exit/Multiple/Undo] <Exit>: M
Specify point on side to offset:
Specify
Specify
Specify
Specify
Specify
Specify

point
point
point
point
point
point

on
on
on
on
on
on

side
side
side
side
side
side

to
to
to
to
to
to

{Distance between lines}

{Click on the top border line}
{Enter M to create multiple offsets using
the 5mm offset distance}
{Click below the top border line 6 times
until all of the lines have been created}

offset:
offset:
offset:
offset:
offset:
offset or [Exit/Undo]: {Press enter twice to
exit}

Next we create vertical lines by

offsetting the right border line. Create
lines at 20, 35, 65, and 85 from the
right border. After you have created
the vertical lines, use the TRIM
command to trim the lines to form a
table. The results are shown on the
right.

1
Next, use the
MTEXT command to fill
in the table. You may
need to set the size of text
used in the table. Do this
by clicking on:

1. Click on the
Annotate tab.
2. Click on the Text
arrow
3. Check the
Annotative box
4. Set the text height to 5
5. Click on Apply then Close

Assembly Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

3
5

P a g e | 11

Finally, fill in the table as shown below.

Assembly Drawings in AutoCAD R Greenlee

P a g e | 12

How to Plot in AutoCAD

"Plotting" is also called "Printing" because you can print to both large-format plotters as
well as small printers just like any other windows operation to produce hard-copy output.
AutoCAD uses standard Windows printer drivers to control plotters and printers, but
there is also
In order to plot a drawing, it must be open.
Plotting is always done through Layouts.
There are several things that have to be done and settings that have to be set before
plotting - they are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Create a "Layout" and assign plotting parameters to it

Set up one or more viewports in the Layout
Set the scale that each viewport will be plotted to
Set visibility of layers in each the viewports
Set shading or hidden line parameters in each viewport (so-called
Visibility)
6. Select the "Plot Device" to print to for the Layout
7. Select the "Plot Style Table" to be used for the Layout (color based
- .ctb, or style based - .stb)
8. Select the "Paper Size" that you want to plot to
9. Select the "Plot Area" - this should almost always be "Extents"
10. Set the "Plot Scale" - this should always be 1:1
11. Set the "Drawing Orientation" - this should always be
"Landscape"

1. Creating a "Layout:"
There is at least one Layout tab to the right of the Model tab at the bottom of
the screen by default called Layout 1. Click on one of the Layouts to make
it current. Right-click on the layout tab and select "Rename" then type in the
name you want to give to that Layout. Each Layout can have a different
arrangement of viewports, each with their own scale and each with a different
selection of visible (frozen or thawed) layers.
2. Creating at least one viewport in the Layout:
There will likely already be a viewport that exists in the Layout you have
selected. When you start a new drawing, AutoCAD automatically creates at
least one Layout and puts an automatic viewport in it. But you will want to

How to Plot in AutoCAD

Page 2

create your own with the size you want. First, erase the bad viewport you
don't want. Don't panic at this point. It will look like you erased your entire
drawing in one step, but you didn't - you simply took out the viewport that
showed your model drawing through it.
To create a new viewport the same size as the piece of paper you are plotting
on, do the following:
Set the current layer to A-ANNO-VPRT - make sure that this layer is a
"non-printing" layer by going to the layer dialogue box (type LA<RET>
to get there) and clicking on the printer icon on the layer first doubleclick will put a red slash through the printer icon, second double-click
will turn it off. A red slash through the printer icon means that the layer
will not print.
Make sure that the variable "regenauto" is turned ON: Type
REGENAUTO<RET>ON<RET>
Make sure that the variable UCSFollow is turned OFF in every
viewport: Double-click in each viewport and type
UCSFOLLOW<RET>0<RET>. You cannot set this variable universally
because each viewport has its own setting for UCSFollow. When
UCSFollow is turned on, every time you double click in a viewport, the
model will automatically zoom to extents and align the model drawing
with the current viewport (very very bad). If UCSFollow is turned off
prior to creating viewports, it will be set correctly with each viewport
you create, however, you should know that AutoCAD, in its wisdom,
has set it to be on by default.
Type MV<RET>
In response to the Command Prompt "Specify corner of viewport ...:"
type in 0,0<RET>
In response to the Command Prompt "Specify opposite corner:" type in
the coordinates of the upper right hand corner of the paper size you
want to plot to, minus 1/2" for a border, such as:
8 1/2" x 11" paper: 10.5,8
11" x 17" paper: 16.5,10.5
18" x 24" paper: 23.5,17.5
24" x 36" paper: 35.5,23.5

How to Plot in AutoCAD

Page 3

Set the current layer back to A-WALL

3. Setting the viewport scale:
Viewport scale can be set in two ways:
The first method is to click on the viewport and set its
"properties" to a scale - drop down the "Standard Scale" box
under the Properties Palette and select one of the standard
scales. If the drawing model disappears or extends beyond the
viewport, the scale is too large - try a smaller scale.
The second method is to double-click within the viewport (to
make it active) and "Zoom" it to the correct "zoom scale factor."
For instance, if you want to plot a viewport to 1/4"=1'-0" scale,
you would double-click the cursor in that viewport and type Z
<RET> 1/48XP <RET> If the drawing disappears from the
viewport after doing this, zoom to extents first (double-click the
wheel on the mouse), then zoom to the desired zoom scale
factor. Below are zoom scale factors for various scales:

Drawing Scaling Chart for Model Space dimensions and text

Plotted Scale of
Drawing

Model Space Zoom

Magnification (use the
denominator for
dimension styles "overall
scale")

Text
Height:
3/32"
(Normal
Notes)

1/8"
1/4"
(Important (Drawing
Notes)
Titles)

1/64" = 1'-0"

1/768XP

72

96

192

1/32" = 1'-0"

1/384XP

36

48

96

1/16" = 1'-0"

1/192XP

18

24

48

3/32" = 1'-0"

1/128XP

12

16

32

1/8" = 1'-0"

1/96XP

12

24

3/16" = 1'-0"

1/64XP

16

1/4" = 1'-0"

1/48XP

12

3/8" = 1'-0"

1/32XP

1/2" = 1'-0"

1/24XP

3/4" = 1'-0"

1/16XP

1.5

1" = 1'-0"

1/12XP

1.5

How to Plot in AutoCAD

Page 4

1 1/2" = 1'-0"

1/8XP

3/4

3" = 1'-0"

1/4XP

3/8

0.5

Half Size

1/2XP

3/16

1/4

0.5

Full Size

1XP

3/32

1/8

1/4

1" = 1000'-0"

1/12000XP

1125

1500

3000

1" = 500'-0"

1/6000XP

562

750

1500

1" = 400'-0"

1/4800XP

450

600

1200

1" = 200'-0"

1/2400XP

225

300

600

1" = 100'-0"

1/1200XP

112

150

300

1" = 80'-0"

1/960XP

90

120

240

1" = 60'-0"

1/720XP

67

90

180

1" = 50'-0"

1/600XP

56

75

150

1" = 40'-0"

1/480XP

45

60

120

1" = 30'-0"

1/360XP

33

45

90

1" = 20'-0"

1/240XP

22

30

60

1" = 10'-0"

1/120XP

11

15

30

Once a scale has been set, click on the viewport again if necessary to
highlight it and drop down the "Display Locked" item in the Properties Palette
and select "Yes." This will prevent movement of the model within the
viewport.
4. Setting the visibility of layers within each viewport:
You can change the visibility of layers in a viewport by clicking inside the
viewport and freezing a layer or layers in that viewport. To accomplish this,
double-click in the viewport you want select the drop-down list of layers on the
toolbar and select the layer you want to freeze and select the icon for

"freezing the layer in a viewport." The icon looks like this:

It looks like a sun over a rectangle, which I suppose is meant to remind you of
a Layout.
Note, do not select the icon for "freezing" the layer, because it will freeze it in
all viewports, as well as in model space.

How to Plot in AutoCAD

Page 5

That incorrect Layer Freeze icon looks like this:

sun without a rectangle behind it.

It is just a plain

Check each viewport to make sure that all layers you want to show on the plot
are thawed and are visible on the screen.
5. Setting shaded or hidden line parameters in a viewport:
You may want to hide lines which may fall behind other objects in a threedimensional view in one or more viewports. To do this, follow these steps:
Select viewports in which you wish to remove hidden lines in the model. In
Paper Space, click on the viewport in which you want to hide lines, drop down
the list after "Shade Plot" in the Properties Palette and select "Hidden."
At this point, you need to go to the Page Setup Manager to complete your
plotting parameters. To do this, right-click on your layout Tab at the bottom of
the screen, and select Page Setup Manager This is how the dialogue box
will look:

Select the New button.

How to Plot in AutoCAD

Page 6

The New Page Setup dialogue box will appear:

Give your new setup a name first you could give it your own name or name it for
the plotter you want to use for plotting the drawing. Click OK. Page setups are saved
with the drawing.
The Page Setup dialogue box will appear:

How to Plot in AutoCAD

Page 7

Lets take this rather complex dialogue box one step at a time.
First, in the upper left corner is the so-called Page Setup Name. This is
the name you typed in for the New Page Setup in the preceding step (in this
case the name is Setup1). There is nothing you can change here.
Next below that box is the Printer/plotter box. Pull the list down and
select the printer to which you want to plot the drawing. You can set the
properties of the plotter by selecting the Properties button. Some plotters
have Custom Properties you can set such as the resolution of the plot. This
is how that is controlled.
Next below is the paper size. Select the size sheet to which you want to
plot.
With the HP Design Jet 500 plotter:
For 8 1/2" x 11" landscape drawings, select ANSI A - 8 1/2 x 11 (portrait)
For 11" x 17" landscape drawings, select ANSI B - 11 x 17 (portrait)
For 18" x 24" landscape drawings, select ARCH C - 18 x 24 in. (portrait)
For 24" x 36" landscape drawings, select ARCH D - 24 x 36 in. (portrait)
Next below is the Plot area. You typically want to plot the Extents of the
layout, so select that choice.
Next below is the Plot offset. Always make sure this is set to 0.00000 for
both X and Y directions. This pushes the plot into the lower left hand corner of
the printable area of the sheet, leaving the smallest margin possible.
In the middle column is Plot scale. Set the scale to 1:1 (because the plot
scale has already been set in the viewport scale)
In the upper right corner is Plot Style Table. Select [Link] if
you want all lines to plot black, or [Link] if you want lines to plot in their
own color.
A "Plot style table" controls the printed colors, line weights, and
"screening" (grey tones) of each line when it is plotted.
There are several Plot Style Tables that come standard as part of the
Program

How to Plot in AutoCAD

Page 8

There are two types of Plot Style Tables:

"Named" Plot Style Tables - these use named objects to control the
colors, line widths, and "screening" such as "walls," "doors,"
"windows," "notes," "dimensions," etc., or a more generic "Style1,"
"Style2," "Style3," etc. Each of those named objects can be set to
plot to a different color, line width, and screening. These plot style
tables have a file name extension of *.stb. Named Plot style tables
are becomming the standard of the industry in recent years.
"Color" Plot Style Tables - these use the color of the object to
control the colors, line widths, and "screening" such as all yellowcolored lines will plot to 0.60 mm line width, black color and 100%
screening, all red colored lines will plot to 0.20 mm line width, etc.
These have been the standard prior to named plot styles coming
into being. They have the limitation of having only 255 possible
combinations (because that is the maximum number of colors in
AutoCAD).
Every individual drawing is set up to be plotted with either color plot style
tables or named plot style tables. You normally need to decide when you
start a drawing what type of plot style table you prefer and pick the
Template that corresponds to either the color-based (-.ctb) or namebased (-.stb) plot style. See info at the end of this paper to learn how to
convert from color-based plot style drawings to style-based.
Here is an example of the [Link] plot style table:

How to Plot in AutoCAD

Page 9

Here is an example of the [Link] plot style table:

Using name-based plot style tables (-.stb):

The most important thing about plot style tables are assignment of colors
and line weights to objects. Varying line weights will make your drawing
more readable.
There are several pre-made name-based plot style tables that come with
AutoCAD out of the box. The two basic ones are [Link] and
[Link]. [Link] plots all objects in their object color.
[Link] plots all objects as black. In both cases line weights are
based on the setting of the layer the objects are on. Below is a screen
shot of a layer list in the Layer Manager which shows how Lineweight and
Plot Style are assigned to every layer. The Default Lineweight is 0.25
mm (equivalent to the #000 Rapidograph pen width which manual drafters
used for typical thin lineweights).

How to Plot in AutoCAD

Page 10

You typically want all colors to be plotted Black, because you will distribute
your drawings in multiple copies to many contractors and printing multiple
drawings in color is very costly. Therefore, plot style tables should have
the color property of every style set to black.
Plot styles are assigned to layers, although that can be overridden at the
object level using the Properties Palette.
The so-called Normal plot style: This is an insidious style that is assigned
by default to all layers. None of its parameters can be changed by you. It
automatically plots every object in the drawing according to its color and
screened at 100%. In the case of a black and white plotter (such as a
laser-jet) it will convert the colors to their grey-scale equivalent. I do not
recommend ever using the Normal style.
You also want each object to have its own lineweight associated with it,
therefore the plot style table should have the "Lineweight" setting to be set
to "Use object lineweight." Therefore, if you change the lineweight of an
object, it will be plotted correctly. To make this easier, every layer should
be assigned a lineweight, in addition to color and linetype.
Under name-based plot style tables, lineweights can be set to plot in four
possible ways:
1.
Assign a layer on which that the object is drawn to a plot style that
sets Lineweight to Use object lineweight and assign a specific lineweight
to that layer (this is the most common method).
2.
Create a Plot Style for every specific lineweight you want to plot,
and assign a layer to a plot style that sets Lineweight to: the specific
lineweight. For instance, you could have the following plot styles: Style
00, assigned the lineweight 0.0000 mm ; Style 01, assigned the
lineweight 0.10 mm; Style 02, assigned the lineweight 0.20 mm; etc. This
system is clear but cumbersome to keep track of.
3.
Assign an individual object (through the Properties Palette) to a plot
style that sets Lineweight to a specific width pen. This overrides the plot
style that is assigned to the layer on which the object is drawn.
4.
Assign an individual object (through the Properties Palette) to a
specific lineweight. This overrides the lineweight that is assigned to the
layer on which is drawn.
To edit a plot style table: type stylesmanager<RET>
Below the Plot Style Table pull-down menu is a check box that says
enigmatically Display Plot Styles. It is unchecked by default. If you check it,
the appearance of objects in the plot Preview will appear as they will be

How to Plot in AutoCAD

Page 11

according to the Plot style, for instance, all in black if you use the
[Link] plot style, or in color is you use the [Link] plot style. No
biggie.
Next below is Shaded viewport options. I would not use this. It will override
all of your viewport settings for shading or hiding lines behind other objects. All
viewports will be treated the same. Keep it set to As displayed. The Quality
pulldown list is only for shaded objects. Keep it set to its default Normal.
Next below is Plot Options. Keep this set to the default options, the following
of which are checked: Plot object lineweights, Plot with plot styles, Plot
paperspace last, but not Hide paperspace objects.
Next below is Drawing Orientation. Always select the "Landscape" radio
button if you selected portrait paper, and vice versa.
Click OK to go back to the Command: prompt.

Finally, How to plot.

To plot, select the plot icon, or type <Ctrl>P, or Select from the "File" pulldown
menu and then "Plot..."
In the Plot Select the " Preview" button
If everything looks good, right click, then select "Plot." If it does not look good,
click "Exit" and then fix the setup.
When the setup is fixed, select OK and the drawing will plot.
To use this plot setup again in the same drawing, pull down the list of Page
Setup Names and select the one you want. The Page Setup controls
everything on the dialogue boxes about plotting, such as the Plot Device, the
Plot Style Table, the paper size, the plot area, the plot scale, and the drawing
orientation.
Plotting Raster objects in drawings
If you have a color photo inserted into your drawing, or if you use a gradient
fill, those objects will plot in color or grayscale (in the case of a black-and
white plotter) regardless of how you set up the plot style for the layer they are
on.

How to Plot in AutoCAD

Page 12

Appendix:
How to convert a drawing from color-based plotting to
name-based plotting:
Many older drawings and older AutoCAD drafters have used color-based plot
styles because the named-based system is a relatively recent development in
AutoCAD. Power users recommend the use of named-based drawings and
plot styles because they are more flexible. With name-based plot styles your
plotted lines are no longer dependent on their color to determine their line
width and screening characteristics. If you have a drawing which has been
created to use color-based plot style tables, you can convert it to use namedbased plot style tables, follow these steps:
1. Open the color-based plot style drawing
2. Type convertctb<RET> - This will create a new name-based plot
style table mimicking the various plot styles (line color, width and
screening) that are mapped to colors in the drawing. A new style
will be created for each different plotted color variation, and given
the names of style1, style2, style3, etc. - this new named plot style
table will contain a color mapping table.
A notification box will pop up telling you that "This command
converts a Color Dependent plot style drawing to use Named Plot
styles, etc. " - click OK.
Select the plot style table in the list that pops up that you would like
to use to convert from
Type in a name of the new named plot style table that you would
like to convert it to
3. After step 2 is completed, type convertpstyles<RET>. A notification
box will pop up telling you that "This command converts a Color
Dependent plot style drawing to use Named Plot styles" - click OK.
Then you will be prompted to select a named plot style table to use
with the drawing - you must choose a named plot style table from
the list which contains a color mapping table, such as the one you
just created in step 2 above. If you do not, an error message will
pop up telling you that the named plot style table you selected does
not contain a color mapping table and asking you to select a
different one.
4. Done