01.08.07
5 Useful Tips When Using AutoCAD (Part 1)
AutoCAD is a drawing tools used by professionals all around the world to create drawing that defines buildings, equipment and products all across the industry. Job concerning AutoCAD is very high in demand these days so having the knowledge of AutoCAD is very useful if you want to command a high paying job apart from job security.
Here is 5 tips to make yourself accustomed to AutoCAD:
- Use the Pull Down Menus
You need to master the effective use of a mouse first before you can do this. On the top of the AutoCAD screen you will see menus like Draw, Edit, Modify, and many more. These menus will launch AutoCAD commands. After you become more comfortable and familiar with AutoCAD you may choose to use the toolbars and the command prompt to issue commands, however if you are new to AutoCAD you will learn and work faster if you use the pull down menus. - Keep Your Eye on the Command Prompt
The Command prompt is located at the bottom of your screen. Keep your eye on the blinking cursor at the command prompt space when you issue commands. You will find that every command you issue puts its options on this line. So, if you start the CIRCLE command, you will find that you can type D to indicate that you want to specify a diameter for the circle you want to create. This saves time if you use the keyboard of course. - Learn How to Identify Points
New AutoCAD users often struggle with too many ways in which they can enter points in AutoCAD. You can type at the command prompt (3,4) or you can click your mouse to select them, you can use Object Snaps to pick up points on existing geometry (hold down the shift key and right-click to see the Osnap menu). You can Also select a point, move your mouse up or down, right or left and type a distance. Take your time and learn all the ways you can select points in AutoCAD and when it is necessary, review the Help files. This will save yourself hundreds of hours of work and create better drawings effectively. - Never Ever Draw What You Can Copy
It is not uncommon to see new AutoCAD users spending too much time drawing. If you’ve drawn something before, you don’t need to draw the same thing again and again. Learn how to use the BLOCK and WBLOCK commands to create named geometry so that you can use them over and over again. Also, learn how to use the INSERT or DESIGN CENTER and EXPLODE commands to place editable geometry in your drawing. - Learn How to Use Model Space/Paper Space or Layouts
Its really very simple. Click the MODEL tab. Draw your objects at full scale (one inch in the real world is one inch in AutoCAD’s model space). Select a Layout to toggle into paper space. Specify the size of your paper that you use. Use the MVIEW command to “cut a hole” in the paper and display the objects in model space. Select the edge of the hole, right-click and choose a scale for the view. Double-click inside the hole and pan the view so its centered. Double-click outside the hole. From the File menu choose Plot to plot your scaled drawing. The instructions for using Layouts vary slightly based on which version of AutoCAD you are using, but the basic technique is always the same. Draw full scale in model space. Create scaled drawings in Layouts.
There you have it, the first part of useful tips when using AutoCAD. Part 2 is will be coming really soon.
