Basic Keys In Autocad

[Melissa Hassel]

Welcometo the world of CAD - In this first tutorial you will be learning the very basicsofAutoCAD. This course is designed so that the commands and instructions should work onalmostany version of AutoCAD, although this version is designed specifically for AutoCAD 2021andwill work with older versions. By the end of this level you will have the skills todevelopbasic 2D drawings and print them out to scale.

Let's start at the beginning, these things you need to know, or the rest of it won't makeanysense at all. Make sure you have a very good understanding of this lesson beforecontinuing.This lesson is longer than most (and not very exciting) but will cover important topics.Learn it, live it. Stick to it! You'll thank me later.

Everything that you draw in AutoCAD is exact. It will be more accurate than you willeverneed it to be. We're talking 14 decimal points accurate. All objects drawn on thescreenare placed there based on a simple X,Y coordinate system. In AutoCAD this is knownasthe World Coordinate System (WCS). You must understand this to know how to putthingswhere you want them. (3-D work has an added axis, the Z-axis, but this is notcovered inthis lesson.) Below is a diagram showing you how this system works (place your mouseonthe diagram for more info).

Here is how it works:

AutoCAD uses points to determine where an object is located. There is an originwhere it begins counting from. This point is (0,0). Every object is located inrelationto the origin. If you were to draw a line straight out to the right from the origin,this would be considered the positive X-axis. If you were to draw a line straightup,this would be the positive Y-axis. The picture above shows a point located at (9,6).This means that the point is 9 units over in the X-axis and 6 units up in theY-axis.When you are working with points, X always comes first. The other point shown is(-10,-4). This means that the point is 10 units in the negative X-axis (left) and 4units in the negative Y-axis (down).

A line has two points, a start point and an end point. AutoCAD works with the pointstodisplay the line on the screen. Move your cursor over the picture above and you willseeline drawn from the absolute points of(-10,-4)to (9,6). Most of the time you will not have an indication of where the origin is.Youmay need to draw a line from the endpoint of an existing line. To do this you use relative points. These work the same way,butyou have to add the @ symbol (shift+2) to tell AutoCAD that this next point isrelativefrom the last point entered. myCADsite.com

It's a simple system, but mastering it is the key to working with AutoCAD and isexplained in more detail further below and in the next lesson. In order to workeffectively with AutoCAD, you have to work with this system. Until you arecomfortableand familiar with it, learning AutoCAD will be more of a chore. My experience inteaching is that the better a student is with coordinates, the faster they willlearn.

When drawing lines at an angle, you have to begin measuring the angle from 0 degrees,which is at the 3 o'clock position. If you drew a line at 90 degrees, it would gostraight up. The example above (when you move your mouse over it) shows a line drawnat+300 degrees (270+30), or -60 degrees. You might not always have an obviousreferencepoint for 0 degrees. Look at the example below and place your mouse on the image tofindout the angle in question.

In this example, you are given information about the lines, but not the angle AutoCADneeds to draw the line from the start point. What you are given though, is (a) theknowledge that 0 is at the 3 o'clock position (b) the knowledge that 180 is at the9o'clock position and (c) the angle between 180 and the line you want to draw is150.With this information, you can figure out what angle you need. Here is a fool-proofwayof getting the angle you need:

ou can enter points directly on the command line using three different systems. Theoneyou use will depend on which is more applicable for the situation. The firstassignmentin the next lesson will show you these methods. The three systems are as follows:

Command line - When you type a command, you will see it here.AutoCAD uses this space to 'prompt' you for information. It will give you a lotofinformation and tell you where you are in the command. Watch this line whilelearning.

Status bar - This allows to see and change different modes ofdrawing such as Ortho, Osnaps, Grid, Otrack, etc. You can right click this areatotoggle between icons and text for this area.

With the introduction of AutoCAD 2009, a new screen layout was added. The program nowallows you to work in different workspaces depending upon what you are working on.Forexample, the screen will look different if you are working on 2D than it will with3Dwork. There is also an option for AutoCAD Classic (which is how the screen lookedfromVersions 2000-2008). This set of tutorials will deal with the new new workspace.Sinceyou are a new user, you may as well learn the new interface. If you want to use theClassic interface, you can use the tutorials for AutoCAD 2008.

For the first 2 levels of tutorials, you will want to be in the 2D Drafting &Annotation workspace. Set this by clicking in the bottom right of the AutoCAD screenonthe 'gear' icon as shown in the image below. In AutoCAD 2012, this is at the top ofthescreen.

There are many ways to do things in most Windows programs. AutoCAD is no exception.Everyone will develop a way that works best for him or her. In this course, we willprimarily be working with the keystroke commands. The reason for this is becausetheywill work in most AutoCAD versions (including DOS versions), and in some other CADprograms. The icons work well, but as you will see, icons can be placed anywhere onthescreen and can be difficult to find quickly. You may be working on anotheremployee'scomputer that is set up differently than what you're used to. The pull-down menuswillaccess almost all commands, but are a slower way of doing things. Icons in AutoCAD2010to AutoCAD 2021 are found on the ribbon, divided into panels - just click on theappropriate tab to open the panel you need..

AutoCAD is a popular program because it can be customized to suit an individual'sneeds.The toolbars are a good example of this. You can have the toolbars you use mostoften onthe screen all the time. You can easily make them go away so that you have moredrawingspace. You can also customize them so you have the most common commands on onetoolbar.For example, the dimensioning toolbar is one that you will not want taking up spaceonyour screen while drawing, but is very handy when you're dimensioning your drawing.

To remove the ribbon and have the most drawing space available, click on the "CleanScreen" icon in the bottom right corner of the screen (or press CTRL+O [numberZero]).To go back to the standard display, click again on the same icon.

If you teach AutoCAD, you know it can be a challenge for students of varying backgrounds to learn the program. Our tutorials have been used in schools for years - Help yourself and your students, and give them a complete AutoCAD course that teaches the software. The lesson format was used in my CAD classes I have been teaching previously. Learn how you can use these assets in your classroom.

Support this site by downloading the tutorials. Get all of the AutoCAD videos and tutorials for only $29. You will get all that you see on the site, but without the ads - AND - you will be supporting the site to keep it growing.

Test yourself with quizzes. Each tutorial includes a quiz at the end of it and each level of tutorials has a quiz which lets you review the material after you have learned it. Take the quiz and check your scores instantly - then move on to the next lesson! This is a great way to learn AutoCAD online.

AutoCAD is a drafting software used in almost all fields for basic drafting and drawing. In AutoCAD, to make drawing is more easy and less time consuming, function keys provide some shortcuts. Once you become familiar with these shortcut keys, you will start enjoying even the basic drafting work.

This function key opens the AutoCAD Help window. It allows the user to take help online if he/she is facing any functional issue in this software. If a user is working offline, then by pressing this key, all the functionalities of this software will be opened in PDF format.

This command automatically activates the O snap feature of AutoCAD. O Snap feature of this software helps to draw your drawing accurately. This will allow you to snap at the specific location of your object while you are picking any point. For example, a user can accurately pick up two points of the line, the center of a circle, etc. If you again press this key, the software will come out from this command.

This command will affect the cursor movement only when the snap style is set as isometric. If the snap style is set as Isometric, Ortho mode will use the appropriate axis pair from 30, 90, and 150 degrees.

This function key turns dynamic UCS on or off. UCS is a user coordinate system that a user can define according to his requirement. Before 2007 when this command is not available while working, the 3D user has to create a new coordinate system every time he/she changes his drawing view. This command is only used when working on 3-dimensional objects.

This command will turn ORTHO mode on or off. This is one of the most useful keys in AutoCAD. This mode is used when the user has to specify an angle or distance using two points using a pointing device. By using this mode, cursor movement will become constrained in the horizontal or vertical direction relative to the user coordinate system.

This key will make a snap grid on or off. Grids are the rectangular pattern of dot-like structure in AutoCAD that covers the entire XY plane of the user coordinate system. Using Grid in AutoCAD is like using the grid paper under your drawing. This will allow the user to align objects and visualize distances between them. By using this key, you can easily snap to a rectangular grid and create your drawing more easily and efficiently.

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