UEME1253 Engineering Drawing & CAD

Introduction to AutoCAD

Department of Mechanical and Material Engineering, UTAR Revised 2019

“A man is not finished when he is
defeated; he is finished when he
quits”

R. M. Nixon 37th President of USA

Starting AutoCAD

From Start Choose All Programs>Autodesk>AutoCAD2015

Create a blank drawing file

Method 1

Method 2
AutoCAD Screen components
• Drawing area

• Command window

• Menu Bar

• Several Toolbars

• Model and layout tabs

• Status Bar
 Drawing Area
• Covers the major portion of the screen. Provide user draw various objects
and use various commands.
Command window
• Present at the bottom of the drawing area.

• Command prompt-Enter the commands and displays the subsequent

prompt sequences and the messages.

• Change the size by placing the cursor on the top edge (double line bar
known as the grab bar) and dragging it.

•Display the AutoCAD Text window by press F2.

•Command window disappear ? Press CTRL + 9.

Status Bar
• Display at the bottom of the screen.

• Change the status by toggles the button between on and off.

on (Blue color), off (Grey color)
 Coordinate display
• Coordinates information is displayed in the left corner of the status bar.

• Select it to toggle it on and off.

• COORDS system variable controls the type of display of the coordinates.

• If the value of the COORDS is 0, the coordinate display is static. If the

value is 1 or 2 is dynamic.

• If the variable is 1 AutoCAD displays the absolute coordinates of the graphic

respect to the UCS origin.

• If the variable is 2 polar coordinates (length<angle) are displayed.

• F6 key to toggle coordinate system on and off.

SNAP
• Allow users move the cursor in fixed increments.

• F9 key to toggle Snap on or Off.

Check the box

uncheck all boxes

GRID
• Grid line as reference lines drawing objects.

• F7 key to turn the grid display on or off.

Grid spacing
ORTHO
• Allows user draw lines at right angles only.

• F8 key to turn Ortho on or off.

POLAR
• The movement of cursor is restricted along the path based on the angle
set as the polar tracking on.

• F10 key to turn on the polar or off the polar tracking.

• When polar tracking is on, ortho mode is off.

OSNAP
• Users can use running object snaps to snap on to a point
set as the polar tracking on.

• F3 key to turn the osnap on or off.

• It’s does not prevent users use immediate mode object snaps.
 Function Key
What are their function?

When use it?

• F4?

• F5?
OTRACK (F11)
• Turn on or off object snap tracking.
Line Weight Setting
• Allow user to set the line weight.

•Turn on or off the display of lineweights in the drawing.

• If the LWT button is not pressed. The display of lineweight is turned off.
MODEL
• MODEL button is displayed in the status bar when working in the model
space to create drawings.

• Allow user switch to layouts, and this button will replaced by PAPER.
 INVOKING COMMANDS
• Keyboard

• Menu

• Toolbar

• Shortcut menu
Keyboard
Drawing line:
Command: LINE or L
Menu
 Toolbar
Bring out the toolbar

At the command line, type in -Toolbar.

Then (using the quotes) “draw"
Then S for Show.
if for some reason it doesn't show up, then try the F
option and give it some new screen coordinates (like 100, 100)
Shortcut menu
• Usually right click of mouse button.
AutoCAD dialog box
Saving drawing
AutoCAD help (F1)
 Always start your drawing with
SETUP the limits:
In command window: limits,
0,0 enter
297, 210 (Landscape) or 210,297(Portrait)
Next
Grid on
In command window: grid

Zoom All
In command window: z
: a (all)
 Coordinate System

• Absolute Coordinate : (0,0), (10,15)

• Relative Coordinate : (@0,10), (@20,5)

• Polar Coordinate : (@60<30), (@45<180)

length direction
Example:
 Printing
• File>plot
 Printing con’t

1st point

2nd point
 XPS file Printing
• File>plot

Name_matrix number_group
Template