AutoCAD 2007 is a premiere computer-aided designing program that lets you organize the objects you draw, their properties, and their files. It also helps you create great-looking models. But it’s not always easy to figure out how to perform these functions, and many users end up missing out on AutoCAD’s full potential.AutoCAD 2007 For Dummies will show you how to perform these tasks and more! This hands-on guide lets you discover how to navigate around all the complications and start creating cool drawings in no time. Soon you’ll have the tools you need to use DWG, set up drawings, add text, and work with lines, as well as:Draw a base plate with rectangles and circlesOrganize a successful templateZoom and pan with glass and handUse the AutoCAD design centerNavigate through your 3-D drawing projectsPlot layout, lineweights, and colorsDesign block definitionsSlice and dice your drawings to create new designsCreate a Web format using AutoCADThis book also features suggestions and tips on how to touch up your creations as well as ways to swap drawing data with other people and programs. Written in a friendly, straightforward tone that doesn’t try to overwhelm you, AutoCAD 2007 For Dummies shows you the fun and easy way to draw precise 2-D and 3-D drawings!
Author(s): David Byrnes, Mark Middlebrook
Series: For Dummies
Edition: Revised
Publisher: For Dummies
Year: 2006
Language: English
Pages: 435
About the Authors......Page 8
Authors’ Acknowledgments......Page 10
Contents at a Glance......Page 12
Table of Contents......Page 14
What’s Not in This Book......Page 22
Who Are — and Aren’t — You?......Page 23
Part I: AutoCAD 101......Page 24
Part III: If Drawings Could Talk......Page 25
Icons Used in This Book......Page 26
A Few Conventions — Just in Case......Page 27
Part I......Page 30
Introducing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT......Page 32
Why AutoCAD?......Page 33
The Importance of Being DWG......Page 34
Seeing the LT......Page 36
It’s CAD Heaven with 2007......Page 37
Le Tour de AutoCAD 2007......Page 40
AutoCAD Does Windows......Page 41
And They’re Off: AutoCAD’s Opening Screen......Page 42
Those well-washed Windows......Page 44
A hierarchy of title bars......Page 45
Cruising the toolbars......Page 46
Looking for Mr. Status Bar......Page 48
A smoother ride: Dynamic input......Page 52
Let your fingers do the talking: The command window......Page 53
The key(board) to AutoCAD success......Page 54
The Model and Layout tabs (Model and paper space)......Page 59
Keeping Tabs on Palettes......Page 61
Under the hood: System variables......Page 63
Chrome and gloss: Dialog boxes......Page 65
Fun with F1......Page 66
A Lap Around the CAD Track......Page 68
A Simple Setup......Page 69
Rectangles on the right layers......Page 73
Place your polygon......Page 77
Get a Closer Look with Zoom and Pan......Page 80
Hooray for array......Page 82
Stretch out......Page 84
Cross your hatches......Page 87
Follow the Plot......Page 88
Setup for Success......Page 92
A Setup Roadmap......Page 93
Choosing your units......Page 95
Weighing your scales......Page 97
Thinking about paper......Page 99
Defending your border......Page 101
All system variables go......Page 102
A Template for Success......Page 103
Setting your units......Page 106
Telling your drawing its limits......Page 108
Making the drawing area snap-py (and grid-dy)......Page 110
Setting linetype and dimension scales......Page 113
Plotting a Layout in Paper Space......Page 115
Creating a layout......Page 116
Copying and changing layouts......Page 119
Lost in paper space......Page 120
Making Templates Your Own......Page 121
Part II......Page 124
Drawing and Editing with AutoCAD......Page 126
Putting it on a layer......Page 127
Accumulating properties......Page 130
Creating new layers......Page 133
Named objects......Page 139
Getting (Design)Centered......Page 140
Copying layers between drawings......Page 141
Precise-liness Is Next to CAD-liness......Page 143
Keyboard capers: Coordinate entry......Page 145
I’d like to make just one point......Page 147
Run with object snaps......Page 150
Other precision practices......Page 151
Where to Draw the Line......Page 154
Introducing the AutoCAD Drawing Commands......Page 155
The Straight and Narrow: Lines, Polylines, and Polygons......Page 157
Toe the line......Page 158
Connect the lines with polyline......Page 159
Square off with rectangle......Page 165
Choose your sides with polygon......Page 166
Going full circle......Page 168
Arc-y-ology......Page 169
Solar ellipses......Page 172
Splines: The sketchy, sinuous curves......Page 173
Revision clouds on the horizon......Page 175
Scoring Points......Page 177
Commanding and Selecting......Page 180
Selection-first editing......Page 181
Choosing an editing style......Page 182
One-by-one selection......Page 183
Selection boxes left and right......Page 184
Perfecting Selecting......Page 186
Ready, Get Set, Edit!......Page 189
Base points and displacements......Page 192
Move......Page 193
Copy between drawings......Page 195
Stretch......Page 196
Rotate......Page 199
Scale......Page 200
Array......Page 201
Offset......Page 203
Slicing, dicing, and splicing......Page 204
Trim and Extend......Page 205
Break......Page 207
Fillet and Chamfer......Page 208
Join......Page 209
Get a Grip......Page 210
A gripping example......Page 211
Move it!......Page 214
Copy, or a kinder, gentler Move......Page 215
A warm-up Stretch......Page 216
Zoom and Pan with Glass and Hand......Page 220
Time to zoom......Page 223
A View by Any Other Name . . .......Page 225
Looking around in Layout Land......Page 226
Degenerating and Regenerating......Page 230
On a 3D Spree......Page 232
Entering the Third Dimension......Page 233
Go Dashboarding!......Page 235
Working out with the Dashboard......Page 238
Get some (visual) style......Page 240
Navigating in Three Dimensions......Page 243
Going into Orbit......Page 244
Hungry for More?......Page 247
Part III......Page 248
Text with Character......Page 250
Simply stylish text......Page 251
Font follies......Page 252
Get in style......Page 253
Taking your text to new heights......Page 255
Calculating AutoCAD text height......Page 256
One line or two?......Page 257
Using the Same Old Line......Page 258
Making it with Mtext......Page 261
Mtext plays the field......Page 265
Doing a number on your Mtext lists......Page 266
Modifying Mtext......Page 269
Tables have style, too......Page 270
Creating and editing tables......Page 272
Checking Out Your Spelling......Page 274
Entering New Dimensions......Page 276
Discovering New Dimensions......Page 278
Anatomy of a dimension......Page 279
A field guide to dimensions......Page 280
Dimension associativity......Page 281
Doing Dimensions with Style(s)......Page 282
Borrowing existing dimension styles......Page 283
Creating and managing dimension styles......Page 285
Adjusting style settings......Page 287
Tabbing to text......Page 288
Getting fit......Page 289
Drawing Dimensions......Page 290
Lining up some linear dimensions......Page 291
Drawing other kinds of dimensions......Page 294
Editing dimension geometry......Page 295
Editing dimension text......Page 296
Controlling and editing dimension associativity......Page 297
Pointy-Headed Leaders......Page 298
Down the Hatch......Page 302
Hatch . . . Hatch . . . Hatchoo......Page 303
Hatch from scratch......Page 305
Pick a pattern, any pattern: Predefined hatch patterns......Page 306
Getting it right: Hatch angle and scale......Page 308
Do fence me in: Defining hatch boundaries......Page 309
Hatching that knows its place......Page 310
Editing Hatch Objects......Page 311
You Say Printing, I Say Plotting......Page 312
Get with the system......Page 313
Configure it out......Page 314
Plotting success in 16 steps......Page 315
Preview one, two......Page 319
Instead of fit, scale it......Page 320
About paper space layouts and plotting......Page 321
The path to paper space layout plotting success......Page 322
Plotting with style......Page 324
Using plot styles......Page 325
Creating plot styles......Page 326
Plotting through thick and thin......Page 328
Controlling plotted lineweights with screen colors......Page 329
Plotting in color......Page 331
It’s a (Page) Setup!......Page 332
Continuing the Plot Dialog......Page 333
Troubles with Plotting......Page 337
Part IV......Page 340
Playing Blocks and Rasteroids......Page 342
Rocking with Blocks......Page 343
Creating block definitions......Page 345
Inserting blocks......Page 348
Attributes: Fill-in-the-blank blocks......Page 350
Attribute definitions......Page 351
Insert a block containing attribute definitions......Page 353
Edit attribute values......Page 354
Exploding blocks......Page 355
Now you see it . . .......Page 356
Lights! Parameters!! Actions!!!......Page 359
Manipulating dynamic blocks......Page 361
Going External......Page 362
Becoming attached to your xrefs......Page 364
Creating and editing an external reference file......Page 366
Forging an xref path......Page 367
Managing xrefs......Page 368
Blocks, Xrefs, and Drawing Organization......Page 369
Mastering the Raster......Page 370
Attaching an image......Page 371
Managing your image......Page 372
A DWF Is Just a DWF......Page 373
Drawing on the Internet......Page 376
The Internet and AutoCAD: An Overview......Page 377
Sending Strategies......Page 379
Send it with ETRANSMIT......Page 380
Rapid eTransmit......Page 381
FTP for you and me......Page 383
Bad reception?......Page 384
Help from the Reference Manager......Page 385
Design Web Format — Not Just for the Web......Page 386
ePlot, not replot......Page 387
Making DWFs with ePlot......Page 388
Making DWFs (or plots) with PUBLISH......Page 390
Hand-y objects......Page 391
The Drawing Protection Racket......Page 392
Part V......Page 394
Control Properties by Layer......Page 396
Don’t Cram Your Geometry......Page 397
Save Drawings Frequently......Page 398
Back Up Drawings Regularly......Page 399
Ten Ways to Swap Drawing Data with Other People and Programs......Page 400
DWG......Page 401
PDF......Page 403
WMF......Page 404
BMP, JPEG, TIFF, and Other Raster Formats......Page 405
Windows Clipboard......Page 406
OLE......Page 407
Screen Capture......Page 408
TXT and RTF......Page 409
Index......Page 410
