Mastering AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD LT 2008

Mastering AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD LT 2008......Page 6
Acknowledgments......Page 10
Foreword......Page 11
Contents......Page 14
AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD LT 2008......Page 30
What to Expect......Page 31
The Minimum System Requirements......Page 33
Contact the Author......Page 34
Part I: The Basics......Page 36
Taking a Guided Tour......Page 38
Working with AutoCAD......Page 51
The Bottom Line......Page 60
Getting to Know the 2D Draw Control Panel......Page 62
Starting Your First Drawing......Page 63
Specifying Distances with Coordinates......Page 67
Interpreting the Cursor Modes and Understanding Prompts......Page 72
Selecting Objects......Page 77
Editing with Grips......Page 88
Using Dynamic Input......Page 92
Getting Help......Page 97
Displaying Data in a Text Window......Page 101
Displaying the Properties of an Object......Page 102
The Bottom Line......Page 103
Setting Up a Work Area......Page 106
Exploring the Drawing Process......Page 115
Planning and Laying Out a Drawing......Page 121
Using the AutoCAD Modes as Drafting Tools......Page 137
The Bottom Line......Page 140
Creating a Symbol......Page 142
Inserting a Symbol......Page 146
Modifying a Block......Page 153
Understanding the Annotation Scale......Page 157
Grouping Objects......Page 160
The Bottom Line......Page 168
Organizing Information with Layers......Page 170
Keeping Track of Blocks and Layers......Page 193
The Bottom Line......Page 195
Part II: Mastering Intermediate Skills......Page 196
Creating and Using Templates......Page 198
Copying an Object Multiple Times......Page 200
Developing Your Drawing......Page 209
Finding an Exact Distance along a Curve......Page 226
Changing the Length of Objects......Page 227
Creating a New Drawing by Using Parts from Another Drawing......Page 228
The Bottom Line......Page 231
Assembling the Parts......Page 232
Taking Control of the AutoCAD Display......Page 235
Using Hatch Patterns in Your Drawings......Page 241
Understanding the Boundary Hatch Options......Page 251
Using External References......Page 259
Editing Xrefs in Place......Page 267
The Bottom Line......Page 272
Plotting the Plan......Page 274
Understanding the Plotter Settings......Page 278
WYSIWYG Plotting Using Layout Tabs......Page 286
Adding an Output Device......Page 290
Storing a Page Setup......Page 294
Plotter and Printer Hardware Considerations......Page 295
The Bottom Line......Page 300
Choosing between Color-Dependent and Named Plot Style Tables......Page 302
Creating a Color Plot Style Table......Page 304
Editing and Using Plot Style Tables......Page 305
Assigning Named Plot Styles Directly to Layers and Objects......Page 315
The Bottom Line......Page 321
Preparing a Drawing for Text......Page 324
Setting the Annotation Scale and Adding Text......Page 327
Understanding the Text Style Dialog Box Options......Page 330
Exploring Text Formatting in AutoCAD......Page 332
What Do the Fonts Look Like?......Page 340
Adding Simple Single-Line Text Objects......Page 342
Using the Check Spelling Feature......Page 347
Substituting Fonts......Page 349
Finding and Replacing Text......Page 351
The Bottom Line......Page 352
Using Fields to Associate Text with Drawing Properties......Page 354
Adding Tables to Your Drawing......Page 358
Editing the Table Line Work......Page 363
Adding Formulas to Cells......Page 365
Importing and Exporting Tables......Page 367
Creating Table Styles......Page 369
The Bottom Line......Page 371
Understanding the Components of a Dimension......Page 372
Creating a Dimension Style......Page 373
Drawing Linear Dimensions......Page 383
Editing Dimensions......Page 388
Dimensioning Non-orthogonal Objects......Page 398
Adding a Note with a Leader Arrow......Page 403
Applying Ordinate Dimensions......Page 408
Adding Tolerance Notation......Page 409
The Bottom Line......Page 412
Part III: Mastering Advanced Skills......Page 414
Creating Attributes......Page 416
Editing Attributes......Page 426
Extracting and Exporting Attribute Information......Page 433
The Bottom Line......Page 439
Methods for Converting Paper Drawings to AutoCAD Files......Page 440
Importing a Raster Image......Page 441
Working with a Raster Image......Page 444
The Bottom Line......Page 450
Using External References (Xrefs)......Page 452
Managing Layers......Page 462
Using Advanced Tools: Filter, Quick Select, and QuickCalc......Page 465
Using the QuickCalc Calculator......Page 470
The Bottom Line......Page 485
Understanding Model Space and Paper Space......Page 488
Working with Paper Space Viewports......Page 494
Creating Odd-Shaped Viewports......Page 501
Understanding Lineweights, Linetypes, and Dimensions in Paper Space......Page 503
The Bottom Line......Page 509
Exploring the Block Editor......Page 510
Creating a Dynamic Block......Page 513
Keeping an Object Centered......Page 520
Adding Scale and Stretch Actions to a Parameter......Page 521
Adding More Than One Parameter for Multiple Grip Functions......Page 525
Creating Multiple Shapes in One Block......Page 532
Rotating Objects in Unison......Page 536
Filling in a Space Automatically with Objects......Page 539
The Bottom Line......Page 540
Introducing Polylines......Page 542
Editing Polylines......Page 545
Creating a Polyline Spline Curve......Page 557
Using True Spline Curves......Page 560
Marking Divisions on Curves......Page 563
The Bottom Line......Page 566
Finding the Area of Closed Boundaries......Page 568
Getting General Information......Page 574
Using the DXF File Format to Exchange CAD Data with Other Programs......Page 580
Using AutoCAD Drawings in Desktop Publishing......Page 583
Using OLE to Import Data......Page 586
The Bottom Line......Page 591
Part IV: 3D Modeling and Imaging......Page 592
Getting to Know the 3D Modeling Workspace......Page 594
Drawing in 3D Using Solids......Page 597
Creating 3D Forms from 2D Shapes......Page 608
Isolating Coordinates with Point Filters......Page 615
Moving Around Your Model......Page 616
Getting a Visual Effect......Page 620
Turning a 3D View into a 2D AutoCAD Drawing......Page 625
The Bottom Line......Page 628
Setting Up AutoCAD for This Chapter......Page 630
Mastering the User Coordinate System......Page 631
Understanding the UCS Options......Page 638
Using Viewports to Aid in 3D Drawing......Page 644
Creating Complex 3D Surfaces......Page 648
Creating Spiral Forms......Page 665
Creating Surface Models......Page 667
Moving Objects in 3D Space......Page 675
The Bottom Line......Page 679
Creating a Quick-Study Rendering......Page 682
Simulating the Sun......Page 683
Using Materials......Page 689
Creating Effects Using Materials and Lights......Page 697
Applying and Adjusting Texture Maps......Page 706
Understanding the Rendering Options......Page 717
Adding Cameras for Better View Control......Page 719
Printing Your Renderings......Page 728
Simulating Natural Light......Page 729
The Bottom Line......Page 736
Understanding Solid Modeling......Page 738
Creating Solid Forms......Page 740
Creating Complex Solids......Page 745
Editing Solids......Page 749
Streamlining the 2D Drawing Process......Page 761
Visualizing Solids......Page 766
The Bottom Line......Page 773
Part V: Customization and Integration......Page 776
Using Enhancements Straight from the Source......Page 778
Putting AutoLISP to Work......Page 796
The Bottom Line......Page 801
Understanding the Interpreter......Page 802
Using Arguments and Functions......Page 805
Creating a Simple Program......Page 808
Selecting Objects with AutoLISP......Page 813
Controlling the Flow of an AutoLISP Program......Page 815
Data-Type Conversions......Page 820
Storing Your Programs as Files......Page 821
The Bottom Line......Page 822
Using Workspaces......Page 824
Customizing the User Interface......Page 826
Creating Macros in Tools and Menus......Page 835
Opening an Expanded Text Box for the Macro Option......Page 836
Editing Keyboard Shortcuts......Page 837
Saving, Loading, and Unloading Your Customizations......Page 838
Understanding the Diesel Macro Language......Page 839
Creating Custom Linetypes......Page 845
Creating Hatch Patterns......Page 850
The Bottom Line......Page 852
Sharing Drawings over the Internet......Page 854
ePublishing Your Drawings......Page 862
Managing Your Drawings with DesignCenter and the Tool Palettes......Page 871
Establishing Office Standards......Page 883
Converting Multiple Layer Settings......Page 888
The Bottom Line......Page 891
Understanding Sheet Sets......Page 892
Creating a Sheet Set from an Existing Project......Page 893
Managing Title Blocks and Cross-References......Page 902
Customizing Sheet Sets......Page 911
Archiving, Publishing, and eTransmitting Sheet Sets......Page 924
The Bottom Line......Page 928
Proceeding with the Installation......Page 930
Configuring AutoCAD......Page 931
Configuring the Tablet Menu Area......Page 950
Setting Up the Tracking Vector Feature......Page 951
Adjusting AutoCAD’s 3D Graphics System......Page 952
Finding Hidden Folders That Contain AutoCAD Files......Page 954
The Graphics Display......Page 956
Fine-Tuning the Appearance of Output......Page 957
Memory and AutoCAD Performance......Page 966
AutoCAD Tools to Improve Memory Use......Page 967
Setting Up Architectural Desktop to Act Like Standard AutoCAD......Page 968
When Things Go Wrong......Page 969
System Variables......Page 974
Taking a Closer Look at the Dimension Style Dialog Boxes......Page 975
Index......Page 992