About the Author

Scott Onstott is a consultant, former university instructor, and independent video producer with more than 17 years of experience teaching and writing about design visualization software. He is the author of the five 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.

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

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

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 122

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  147

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  185

Exercise 9.5: Add to the Tool Palettes 185

Reference External Drawings and Images 187

Exercise 9.6: Use Xrefs  188

Chapter 10 Creating and Editing Text 193

Style Text 193

Exercise 10.1: Create Text Styles 193

Write Lines of Text  195

Exercise 10.2: Create Text to Fit 195

Exercise 10.3: Justify Text  197

Exercise 10.4: Transform and Create Text 198

Write and Format Paragraphs Using MTEXT  201

Exercise 10.5: Write and Format with MTEXT  201

Edit Text  204

Exercise 10.6: Edit Content and Properties  205

Exercise 10.7: Work with Columns 206

Chapter 11 Dimensioning 209

Style Dimensions 209

Exercise 11.1: Create Dimension Styles 210

Add Dimensions  215

Exercise 11.2: Use Inquiry Commands  216

Exercise 11.3: Add Dimension Objects  218

Exercise 11.4: Add and Style Multileaders 221

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  249

Exercise 13.4: Work on Layout1 249

Exercise 13.5: Work on Layout2 252

Override Layer Properties in Layout Viewports 255

Exercise 13.6: Override Layer Properties  255

Draw on Layouts 257

Exercise 13.7: Lay Out Geometry  257

Chapter 14 Printing and Plotting 261

Configure Output Devices  261

Exercise 14.1: Set Up a System Printer  262

Exercise 14.2: Set Up an AutoCAD Plotter 262

Create Plot Style Tables  265

Exercise 14.3: Create a Named Plot Style Table 265

Use Plot Style Tables  267

Exercise 14.4: Configure New Drawings for Named Plot Style Tables 267

Exercise 14.5: Assign Plot Styles by Layer or by Object 270

Plot in Model Space 273

Exercise 14.6: Plot from Model Space 273

Plot Layouts in Paper Space  277

Exercise 14.7: Plot from Paper Space 277

Export to an Electronic Format 280

Exercise 14.8: Export to DWF 281

Exercise 14.9: Export to PDF 282

Exercise 14.10: Share Design Views 284

Chapter 15 Working with Data 287

Geolocate Projects  287

Exercise 15.1: Geolocate a Drawing  288

Import SketchUp Models 292

Exercise 15.2: Import a SketchUp Model  292

Define Attributes and Blocks  293

Exercise 15.3: Define Attributes and a Block 294

Insert Attributed Blocks 298

Exercise 15.4: Insert Block References with Attributes 298

Edit Table Styles and Create Tables 300

Exercise 15.5: Alter a Table Style and Make a Table  300

Use Fields in Table Cells  305

Exercise 15.6: Create Fields  305

Edit Table Data 308

Exercise 15.7: Alter Table Data  308

Chapter 16 Navigating 3D Models 317

Use Visual Styles 317

Exercise 16.1: Explore Visual Styles  318

Work with Tiled Viewports 322

Exercise 16.2: Tile Viewports 322

Navigate with the ViewCube  324

Exercise 16.3: Use the ViewCube to Navigate 324

Orbit in 3D  326

Exercise 16.4: Orbit 326

Use Cameras 328

Exercise 16.5: Utilize Virtual Cameras  328

Navigate with SteeringWheels 331

Exercise 16.6: Use SteeringWheels to Navigate 331

Save Views  334

Exercise 16.7: Save Views  334

Chapter 17 Modeling in 3D 337

Create Surface Models 337

Exercise 17.1: Make Planar Surfaces  338

Exercise 17.2: Revolve a 2D Profile to Create a 3D Model 339

Exercise 17.3: Sweep Out 3D Geometry 340

Exercise 17.4: Extrude 2D Geometry into 3D  342

Edit Surface Models 344

Exercise 17.5: Trim Surfaces with Other Surfaces 344

Exercise 17.6: Project Edges on Surfaces  345

Exercise 17.7: Trim Surfaces with Edges  348

Create Solid Models 350

Exercise 17.8: Extrude Solid Objects 350

Exercise 17.9: Loft Solid Objects 354

Edit Solid Models 356

Exercise 17.10: Perform Boolean Operations 356

Exercise 17.11: Edit Solids  359

Smooth Mesh Models  363

Exercise 17.12: Create, Edit, and Smooth Mesh 363

Live-Section Models 365

Exercise 17.13: Create and Edit a Section Plane  365

Chapter 18 Presenting and Documenting 3D Design 369

Assign Materials  370

Exercise 18.1: Apply Materials  370

Place and Adjust Lights  376

Exercise 18.2: Add Artificial Lights  376

Exercise 18.3: Simulate Natural Light  382

Create Renderings  383

Exercise 18.4: Make More Realistic Renderings in the Cloud  383

Document Models with Drawings  387

Exercise 18.5: Document Models  387

Appendix A Making Isometric Drawings 393

Appendix B Autodesk® AutoCAD 2017 Certification 399

Index 403

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