AutoCAD 2017 and AutoCAD LT 2017 Essentials

435 Pages·2016·24.45 MB·English

by  Scott Onstott

AutoCAD® 2017
AnD
AutoCAD LT ® 2017
EssEntials
Scott Onstott
Senior Acquisitions Editor: Stephanie McComb
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Copyright © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN: 978-1-119-24333-5
ISBN: 978-1-119-24335-9 (ebk.)
ISBN: 978-1-119-24334-2 (ebk.)
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Acknowledgments 
Many people have been instrumental in making this book you are hold-
ing in your hands or reading onscreen a reality. I would like to express my
sincere gratitude to the professional team at Sybex (an imprint of Wiley) for all
their hard work. It has been a pleasure working with my acquisitions editor,
Stephanie McComb; developmental editor, Kathryn Duggan; and members of
the editorial staff.
About the Author 
Scott Onstott has published 12 books with Sybex prior to this one:
AutoCAD® 2016 and AutoCAD LT ® 2016 Essentials, AutoCAD® 2015 and
AutoCAD LT ® 2015 Essentials, AutoCAD® 2014 and AutoCAD LT ® 2014
Essentials, AutoCAD® 2013 and AutoCAD LT ® 2013 Essentials, AutoCAD®
2012 and AutoCAD LT ® 2012 Essentials, Adobe® Photoshop® CS6 Essentials,
Enhancing Architectural Drawings and Models with Photoshop, AutoCAD®:
Professional Tips and Techniques (with Lynn Allen), Enhancing CAD Drawings
with Photoshop, Mastering Autodesk ® VIZ 2007 (with George Omura and Jon
McFarland), Mastering Autodesk ® Architectural Desktop 2006, and Autodesk ®
VIZ 2005 (with George Omura). Scott has worked on 20 other Sybex books as
contributing author, reviser, compilation editor, or technical editor.
He also wrote, narrated, and produced the Secrets in Plain Sight film series
(volumes 1 and 2) and seven related books including Tripartite, Anthology:
Secrets in Plain Sight, Geometra: Coloring Book, Secrets in Plain Sight:
Leonardo da Vinci, The Divine Proportion, Quantification: Illustrations from
the Creator of Secrets in Plain Sight, and Taking Measure: Explorations in
Number, Architecture, and Consciousness.
Scott has a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of California
– Berkeley and is a former university instructor who now serves as a consul-
tant and independent video producer. You can contact the author through his
website at www.scottonstott.com or www.secretsinplainsight.com.
Contents at a Glance
Introduction xv
ChApter 1 Getting Started  1
ChApter 2 Gaining Basic Drawing Skills  17
ChApter 3 Using Drawing Aids 43
ChApter 4 Editing Entities 59
ChApter 5 Shaping Curves  85
ChApter 6 Controlling Object Visibility and Appearance  105
ChApter 7 Organizing Objects 131
ChApter 8 Hatching and Gradients  155
ChApter 9 Working with Blocks and Xrefs 171
ChApter 10 Creating and Editing Text  193
ChApter 11 Dimensioning  209
ChApter 12 Keeping In Control with Constraints  227
ChApter 13 Working with Layouts and Annotative Objects  239
ChApter 14 Printing and Plotting  261
ChApter 15 Working with Data  287
ChApter 16 Navigating 3D Models  317
ChApter 17 Modeling in 3D  337
ChApter 18 Presenting and Documenting 3D Design  369
Appendix A Making Isometric Drawings 393
Appendix B Autodesk® AutoCAD 2017 Certification 399
Index 403

Contents
Introduction xv
Chapter 1 Getting Started  1
Sign In to Autodesk 360 on the Start Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Exercise 1.1: Configure Autodesk 360................................... 1
Explore the AutoCAD 2017 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............................................... 26
Exercise 2.4: Correct Mistakes........................................ 26
Use Coordinate Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Exercise 2.5: Use Absolute Coordinates................................. 28
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................................. 44
Employ Ortho and Polar Tracking....................................... 47
viii Contents
Exercise 3.2: Draw with Ortho and Polar Tracking ....................... 47
Use PolarSnap....................................................... 49
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 ............................... 73
Exercise 4.6: Create a Polar Array ..................................... 75
Use Trim and Extend.................................................. 76
Exercise 4.7: Trim and Measure....................................... 77
Use Lengthen and Stretch ............................................. 78
Exercise 4.8: Lengthen and Stretch ................................... 78
Use Offset and Mirror ................................................. 79
Exercise 4.9: Offset and Mirror ....................................... 80
Edit with Grips ...................................................... 82
Exercise 4.10: Edit with Grips ........................................ 82
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