About the Author

Scott Onstott is a consultant, former university professor, author, and independent video producer with more than 19 years of experience teaching and writing about design visualization software. He is the author of the six previous editions of AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Essentials, Photoshop CS6 Essentials, Enhancing Architectural Drawings and Models with Photoshop, and five other software training books published by Sybex.

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1 Get ting Star ted 1

Sign In to Autodesk 360 on the Start Tab 1

Exercise 1.1: Configure Autodesk 360 1

Explore the AutoCAD 2018 for Windows User Interface 4

Exercise 1.2: Explore the Graphical User Interface 4

Exercise 1.3: Control the AutoCAD Ribbon 9

Set Drawing Units 13

Exercise 1.4: Set the AutoCAD Drawing Units 14

Chapter 2 Gaining Basic Drawing Skills 17

Navigate 2D Drawings 17

Exercise 2.1: Navigate a Drawing 17

Draw Lines and Rectangles 21

Exercise 2.2: Draw Lines 21

Exercise 2.3: Draw Rectangles 24

Cancel, Erase, and Undo 25

Exercise 2.4: Correct Mistakes 25

Use Coordinate Systems 27

Exercise 2.5: Use Absolute Coordinates 27

Exercise 2.6: Use Relative Coordinates 28

Exercise 2.7: Use Polar Coordinates 29

Draw Circles, Arcs, and Polygons 33

Exercise 2.8: Create Circles 33

Exercise 2.9: Create Arcs 36

Exercise 2.10: Draw Polygons 38

Use Fillet and Chamfer 40

Exercise 2.11: Join Nonparallel Lines 40

Exercise 2.12: Join Crossed Lines with Fillet 41

Chapter 3 Using Drawing Aids 43

Use Grid and Snap 43

Exercise 3.1: Draw with Grid and Snap 44t e n t s

Employ Ortho and Polar Tracking 47

Exercise 3.2: Draw with Ortho and Polar Tracking 47

Use PolarSnap 48

Exercise 3.3: Draw with PolarSnap 49

Select Running Object Snaps 51

Exercise 3.4: Draw with Running Object Snaps 51

Harness the From Snap 54

Exercise 3.5: Use the From Snap 54

Apply Object Snap Tracking 55

Exercise 3.6: Use Object Snap Tracking 55

Chapter 4 Editing Entities 59

Create Selection Sets 59

Exercise 4.1: Create a Selection Set at the Select Objects: Prompt 60

Exercise 4.2: Create a Selection Set Before Deciding on a Command 62

Use Move and Copy 66

Exercise 4.3: Move and Copy 66

Use Rotate and Scale 70

Exercise 4.4: Rotate and Scale 70

Work with Arrays 73

Exercise 4.5: Create a Rectangular Array 74

Exercise 4.6: Create a Polar Array 75

Use Trim and Extend 77

Exercise 4.7: Trim and Measure 77

Use Lengthen and Stretch 78

Exercise 4.8: Lengthen and Stretch 79

Use Offset and Mirror 80

Exercise 4.9: Offset and Mirror 80

Edit with Grips 82

Exercise 4.10: Edit with Grips 83

Chapter 5 Shaping Curves 85

Draw and Edit Curved Polylines 85

Exercise 5.1: Draw and Edit Curved Polylines 85

Draw Ellipses 91

Exercise 5.2: Draw Ellipses 91

Shape Splines 93

Exercise 5.3: Work with Control Vertices 94

Exercise 5.4: Work with Fit Points 98

Blend Between Objects with Splines 101

Exercise 5.5: Blend Splines 102

Chapter 6 Controlling Object Visibility and Appearance 105

Change Object Properties 105

Exercise 6.1: Edit Object Properties 106

Set the Current Layer 109

Exercise 6.2: Choose the Current Layer 110

Alter the Layer Assignments of Objects 113

Exercise 6.3: Assign Layers 113

Control Layer Visibility 116

Exercise 6.4: Toggle Layer Status 116

Exercise 6.5: Isolate Layers 118

Exercise 6.6: Save Layer States 120

Apply Linetype 121

Exercise 6.7: Use Linetype 122

Assign Properties by Object or by Layer 125

Exercise 6.8: Assign Properties 125

Manage Layer Properties 126

Exercise 6.9: Control Layer Properties 126

Isolate Objects 128

Exercise 6.10: Isolate and Hide Individual Objects 128

Chapter 7 Organizing Objects 131

Define Blocks 131

Exercise 7.1: Draw a Chair and Define It as a Block 132

Exercise 7.2: Draw a Door and Define It as a Block 135

Insert Blocks 137

Exercise 7.3: Use Blocks 137

Edit Blocks 141

Exercise 7.4: Edit Block Definitions 142

Exercise 7.5: Assign Floating Properties 143

Exercise 7.6: Nest Blocks 145

Exercise 7.7: Explode Blocks 147t e n t s

Redefine Blocks 148

Exercise 7.8: Redefine Block Definitions 148

Work with Groups 151

Exercise 7.9: Create Groups 151

Chapter 8 Hatching and Gradients 155

Specify Hatch Areas 155

Exercise 8.1: Pick Points to Determine Boundaries 155

Exercise 8.2: Select Objects to Define Boundaries 159

Associate Hatches with Boundaries 161

Exercise 8.3: Associate Boundaries 161

Hatch with Patterns 163

Exercise 8.4: Specify Properties 164

Exercise 8.5: Separate Hatch Areas 165

Hatch with Gradients 168

Exercise 8.6: Create Gradients 168

Chapter 9 Working with Blocks and Xrefs 171

Work with Global Blocks 171

Exercise 9.1: Write a Local Block Definition to a File 171

Exercise 9.2: Insert a Drawing as a Local Block 175

Exercise 9.3: Redefine Local Blocks with Global Blocks 177

Access Content Globally 179

Exercise 9.4: Access Global Content 179

Store Content on Tool Palettes 180

Exercise 9.5: Add to the Tool Palettes 180

Reference External Drawings and Images 183

Exercise 9.6: Use Xrefs 183

Chapter 10 Creating and Editing Text 189

Style Text 189

Exercise 10.1: Create Text Styles 189

Write Lines of Text 191

Exercise 10.2: Create Text to Fit 191

Exercise 10.3: Justify Text 193

Exercise 10.4: Transform and Create Text 194

Write and Format Paragraphs Using MTEXT 197

Exercise 10.5: Write and Format with MTEXT 197t

Edit Text 200

Exercise 10.6: Edit Content and Properties 201

Exercise 10.7: Work with Columns 202

Recognize and Combine Text 203

Exercise 10.8: Import, Recognize, and Combine Text from PDF 204

Chapter 11 Dimensioning 209

Style Dimensions 209

Exercise 11.1: Create Dimension Styles 210

Add Dimensions 215

Exercise 11.2: Use Inquiry Commands 215

Exercise 11.3: Add Dimension Objects 218

Exercise 11.4: Add and Style Multileaders 222

Edit Dimensions 223

Exercise 11.5: Alter Dimension Objects 223

Chapter 12 Keeping In Control with Constraints 227

Work with Geometric Constraints 227

Exercise 12.1: Use Geometric Constraints 227

Apply Dimensional Constraints 230

Exercise 12.2: Create Dimensional Constraints 231

Constrain Objects Simultaneously with Geometry and Dimensions 234

Exercise 12.3: Use Simultaneous Constraints 234

Make Parametric Changes to Constrained Objects 236

Exercise 12.4: Alter Constraint Parameters 237

Chapter 13 Working with Layouts and Annotative Objects 239

Create Annotative Styles and Objects 239

Exercise 13.1: Work with Annotative Text 240

Exercise 13.2: Work with Annotative Dimensions 243

Create Layouts 245

Exercise 13.3: Configure Layouts 245

Adjust Floating Viewports 248

Exercise 13.4: Work on Layout1 249

Exercise 13.5: Work on Layout2 252

Override Layer Properties in Layout Viewports 254

Exercise 13.6: Override Layer Properties 255

Draw on Layouts 256

Exercise 13.7: Lay Out Geometry 256on t e n t s

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1 Get ting Star ted 1

Sign In to Autodesk 360 on the Start Tab 1

Exercise 1.1: Configure Autodesk 360 1

Explore the AutoCAD 2018 for Windows User Interface 4

Exercise 1.2: Explore the Graphical User Interface 4

Exercise 1.3: Control the AutoCAD Ribbon 9

Set Drawing Units 13

Exercise 1.4: Set the AutoCAD Drawing Units 14

Chapter 2 Gaining Basic Drawing Skills 17

Navigate 2D Drawings 17

Exercise 2.1: Navigate a Drawing 17

Draw Lines and Rectangles 21

Exercise 2.2: Draw Lines 21

Exercise 2.3: Draw Rectangles 24

Cancel, Erase, and Undo 25

Exercise 2.4: Correct Mistakes 25

Use Coordinate Systems 27

Exercise 2.5: Use Absolute Coordinates 27

Exercise 2.6: Use Relative Coordinates 28

Exercise 2.7: Use Polar Coordinates 29

Draw Circles, Arcs, and Polygons 33

Exercise 2.8: Create Circles 33

Exercise 2.9: Create Arcs 36

Exercise 2.10: Draw Polygons 38

Use Fillet and Chamfer 40

Exercise 2.11: Join Nonparallel Lines 40

Exercise 2.12: Join Crossed Lines with Fillet 41

Chapter 3 Using Drawing Aids 43

Use Grid and Snap 43

Exercise 3.1: Draw with Grid and Snap 44t e n t s

Employ Ortho and Polar Tracking 47

Exercise 3.2: Draw with Ortho and Polar Tracking 47

Use PolarSnap 48

Exercise 3.3: Draw with PolarSnap 49

Select Running Object Snaps 51

Exercise 3.4: Draw with Running Object Snaps 51

Harness the From Snap 54

Exercise 3.5: Use the From Snap 54

Apply Object Snap Tracking 55

Exercise 3.6: Use Object Snap Tracking 55

Chapter 4 Editing Entities 59

Create Selection Sets 59

Exercise 4.1: Create a Selection Set at the Select Objects: Prompt 60

Exercise 4.2: Create a Selection Set Before Deciding on a Command 62

Use Move and Copy 66

Exercise 4.3: Move and Copy 66

Use Rotate and Scale 70

Exercise 4.4: Rotate and Scale 70

Work with Arrays 73

Exercise 4.5: Create a Rectangular Array 74

Exercise 4.6: Create a Polar Array 75

Use Trim and Extend 77

Exercise 4.7: Trim and Measure 77

Use Lengthen and...