AutoCAD For Dummies, 19th Edition

AutoCAD For Dummies, 19th Edition

by Ralph Grabowski
Released March 2022
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781119868767

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

You’re one step away from creating crystal-clear computer-aided drafts in AutoCAD

Ever started an AutoCAD project, only to give up when you couldn’t quite get the hang of it? Or do you have a project coming up that would really benefit from a few meticulously created drawings? Then you need the latest edition of AutoCAD For Dummies, the world’s bestselling retail book about the wildly popular program.

With coverage of all the important updates to AutoCAD released since 2019, this book walks you through the very basics of pixels, vectors, lines, text, and more, before moving on to more advanced step-by-step tutorials on three-dimensional drawings and models. Already know the fundamentals? Then skip right to the part you need! From blocks to parametrics, it’s all right here at your fingertips.

You’ll also find:

  • In-depth explanations of how to create and store your drawings on the web
  • Stepwise instructions on creating your very first AutoCAD drawing, from product installation and project creation to the final touches
  • An exploration of system variables you can tweak to get the best performance from AutoCAD

Perfect for the AutoCAD newbie just trying to find their way around the interface for the first time, AutoCAD For Dummies is also a must-read reference for the experienced user looking to get acquainted with the program’s latest features and essential drawing tips. Grab a copy today!

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Foolish Assumptions
    3. Conventions Used in This Book
    4. Icons Used in This Book
    5. Beyond the Book
    6. Where to Go from Here
  5. Part 1: Getting Started with AutoCAD
    1. Chapter 1: Introducing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT
      1. Launching AutoCAD
      2. Drawing in AutoCAD
      3. Understanding Pixels and Vectors
      4. The Cartesian Coordinate System
    2. Chapter 2: The Grand Tour of AutoCAD
      1. Looking at AutoCAD’s Drawing Screen
      2. Getting with the Program
      3. Fun with F1
    3. Chapter 3: A Lap around the CAD Track
      1. A Simple Setup
      2. Drawing a (Base) Plate
      3. Taking a Closer Look with Zoom and Pan
      4. Modifying to Make It Merrier
      5. Following the Plot
    4. Chapter 4: Setup for Success
      1. A Setup Roadmap
      2. A Template for Success
      3. Making the Most of Model Space
      4. Making Templates Your Own
    5. Chapter 5: A Zoom with a View
      1. Panning and Zooming with Glass and Hand
      2. Zoom, Zoom, Zoom
      3. A View by Any Other Name
      4. Degenerating and Regenerating
  6. Part 2: Let There Be Lines
    1. Chapter 6: Along the Straight and Narrow
      1. Drawing for Success
      2. Introducing the Straight-Line Drawing Commands
      3. Drawing Lines and Polylines
      4. Squaring Off with Rectangles
      5. Choosing Sides with POLygon
    2. Chapter 7: Dangerous Curves Ahead
      1. Throwing Curves
      2. Going Full Circle
      3. Arc-y-ology
      4. Solar Ellipses
      5. Splines: Sketchy, Sinuous Curves
      6. Donuts: Circles with a Difference
      7. Revision Clouds on the Horizon
      8. Scoring Points
    3. Chapter 8: Preciseliness Is Next to CADliness
      1. Controlling Precision
      2. Understanding the AutoCAD Coordinate Systems
      3. Grabbing an Object and Making It Snappy
      4. Other Practical Precision Procedures
    4. Chapter 9: Manage Your Properties
      1. Using Properties with Objects
      2. Working with Layers
      3. Using Named Objects
      4. Using AutoCAD DesignCenter
    5. Chapter 10: Grabbing Onto Object Selection
      1. Commanding and Selecting
      2. Selecting Objects
      3. Perfecting Selecting
      4. AutoCAD Groupies
      5. Object Selection: Now You See It …
    6. Chapter 11: Edit for Credit
      1. Assembling Your AutoCAD Toolkit
      2. The Big Three: Move, COpy, and Stretch
      3. More Manipulations
      4. Slicing, Dicing, and Splicing
      5. Getting a Grip
      6. When Editing Goes Bad
      7. Dare to Compare
    7. Chapter 12: Planning for Paper
      1. Setting Up a Layout in Paper Space
      2. Any Old Viewport in a Layout
      3. Practice Makes Perfect
      4. Clever Paper Space Tricks
  7. Part 3: If Drawings Could Talk
    1. Chapter 13: Text with Character
      1. Getting Ready to Write
      2. Creating Simply Stylish Text
      3. Taking Your Text to New Heights
      4. Entering Text
      5. Using the Same Old Line
      6. Saying More in Multiline Text
      7. Turning On Annotative Objects
      8. Gather Round the Tables
      9. Take Me to Your Leader
    2. Chapter 14: Entering New Dimensions
      1. Adding Dimensions to a Drawing
      2. Dimensioning the Legacy Way
      3. A Field Guide to Dimensions
      4. The Latest Styles in Dimensioning
      5. Scaling Dimensions for Output
      6. Editing Dimensions
      7. And the Correct Layer Is …
    3. Chapter 15: Down the Hatch!
      1. Creating Hatches
      2. Hatching Its Own Layer
      3. Using the Hatches Tab
      4. Scaling Hatches
      5. Pushing the Boundaries of Hatch
      6. Editing Hatch Objects
    4. Chapter 16: The Plot Thickens
      1. You Say “Printing,” I Say “Plotting”
      2. The Plot Quickens
      3. Plotting the Layout of the Land
      4. Plotting Lineweights and Colors
      5. It’s a (Page) Setup!
      6. Continuing the Plot Dialog
      7. The Plot Sickens
  8. Part 4: Advancing with AutoCAD
    1. Chapter 17: The ABCs of Blocks
      1. Rocking with Blocks
      2. Creating Block Definitions
      3. Inserting Blocks
      4. Attributes: Fill-in-the-Blank Blocks
      5. Exploding Blocks
      6. Purging Unused Block Definitions
    2. Chapter 18: Everything from Arrays to Xrefs
      1. Arraying Associatively
      2. Going External
      3. Blocks, Xrefs, and Drawing Organization
      4. Mastering the Raster
      5. You Say PDF; I Say DWF
      6. Theme and Variations: Dynamic Blocks
    3. Chapter 19: Call the Parametrics!
      1. Maintaining Design Intent
      2. Understanding Geometric Constraints
      3. Understanding Dimensional Constraints
      4. Lunchtime!
    4. Chapter 20: Drawing on the Internet
      1. The Internet and AutoCAD: An Overview
      2. The Drawing Protection Racket
      3. Outgoing!
      4. AutoCAD Web and Mobile
  9. Part 5: On a 3D Spree
    1. Chapter 21: It’s a 3D World After All
      1. The 3.5 Kinds of 3D Digital Models
      2. Tools of the 3D Trade
      3. Modeling from Above
      4. Changing Work Planes
      5. Visualizing 3D Objects
      6. On a Render Bender
    2. Chapter 22: From Drawings to Models
      1. Is 3D for Me?
      2. Getting Your 3D Bearings
      3. From Drawing to Modeling in 3D
      4. Adding the Third Dimension to 2D Objects
      5. Modifying 3D Objects
    3. Chapter 23: It’s Showtime!
      1. Get the 2D Out of Here!
      2. Visualizing the Digital World
      3. Adding Lights
      4. Creating and Applying Materials
      5. Defining a Background
      6. Rendering a 3D Model
    4. Chapter 24: AutoCAD Plays Well with Others
      1. Get Out of Here!
      2. Open Up and Let Me In!
      3. Translation, Please!
      4. The Importance of Being DWG
  10. Part 6: The Part of Tens
    1. Chapter 25: Ten AutoCAD Resources
      1. Autodesk Discussion Groups
      2. Autodesk’s Own Blogs
      3. Autodesk University
      4. Autodesk Channel on YouTube
      5. World Wide (CAD) Web
      6. Your Local Authorized Training Center
      7. Your Local User Group
      8. Autodesk User Groups International
      9. Books
      10. Autodesk Feedback Community
    2. Chapter 26: Ten System Variables to Make Your AutoCAD Life Easier
      1. APERTURE
      2. DIMASSOC
      3. MENUBAR
      4. MIRRTEXT
      5. OSNAPZ
      6. PICKBOX
      7. REMEMBERFOLDERS
      8. ROLLOVERTIPS and TOOLTIPS
      9. TASKBAR
      10. VISRETAIN
      11. And the Bonus Round
    3. Chapter 27: Ten AutoCAD Secrets
      1. Sheet Sets
      2. Custom Tool Palettes
      3. Ribbon Customization
      4. Toolsets
      5. Programming Languages
      6. Vertical Versions
      7. Language Packs
      8. Multiple Projects or Clients
      9. Data Extraction and Linking
      10. Untying the Ribbon and Drawings
  11. Index
  12. About the Author
  13. Connect with Dummies
  14. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: AutoCAD For Dummies, 19th Edition
  • Author(s): Ralph Grabowski
  • Release date: March 2022
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781119868767