Giáo trình Autocad 2010 (English)

AutoCAD 2010 &
AutoCAD LT 2010 Bible
®

®



AutoCAD 2010 &
AutoCAD LT 2010
Bible
®

®

Ellen Finkelstein


Disclaimer: This eBook does not include ancillary media that was packaged with the
printed version of the book.
AutoCAD® 2010 & AutoCAD LT® 2010 Bible
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
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Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN: 978-0-470-43640-0
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Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in
electronic books.


To MMY, for teaching me that there’s more to life than
meets the eye and that the deeper levels of life are the most
intelligent, powerful, and blissful.

v


About the Author
Ellen Finkelstein learned AutoCAD in Israel, where she always got to pore over the manual because it was
in English. After returning to the United States, she started consulting and teaching AutoCAD as well as
other computer programs, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. She has also taught courses
on Web writing and usability. Her Web site, www.ellenfinkelstein.com, contains tips and techniques for AutoCAD, PowerPoint, and presenting, and she publishes the AutoCAD Tips Blog, and a
monthly AutoCAD Tips Newsletter. Ellen has written extensively on AutoCAD, including articles for
Autodesk’s Web site and features for AutoCAD’s Help system. Ellen’s first book was AutoCAD For
Dummies Quick Reference. Since then, she has written books on PowerPoint, OpenOffice.org (OpenOffice.
org For Dummies), Flash (such as Flash CS4 For Dummies), and Web technologies (Syndicating Web Sites
with RSS Feeds For Dummies). You’re holding the tenth edition (wow!) of this book, which previously
appeared for AutoCAD releases 14, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009.

vi


Credits

Senior Acquisitions Editor
Stephanie McComb

Project Coordinator
Kristie Rees

Project Editor
Jade L. Williams

Graphics and Production Specialists
Samantha K. Allen
Ana Carrillo
Carrie A. Cesavice
Andrea Hornberger
Jennifer Mayberry
Ronald Terry

Technical Editors
Lee Ambrosius, Darren Young
Copy Editor
Marylouise Wiack
Editorial Director
Robyn Siesky
Editorial Manager
Cricket Krengel
Business Manager
Amy Knies

Proofreading
Bonnie Mikkelson

Indexing
BIM Indexing & Proofreading Services
Media Development Project Manager
Laura Moss

Senior Marketing Manager
Sandy Smith

Media Development Assistant Project
Manager
Jenny Swisher

Vice President and Executive Group
Publisher
Richard Swadley

Media Development Associate Producer
Joshua Frank

Vice President and Executive Publisher
Barry Pruett

vii


Foreword .........................................................................................................................................xxxvii
Acknowledgments ..........................................................................................................................xxxviii
Introduction .....................................................................................................................................xxxix

Part I: AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Quick Start: Drawing a Window ............................................................................................................. 3
Chapter 1: Starting to Draw .................................................................................................................. 15
Chapter 2: Opening a Drawing ............................................................................................................. 29
Chapter 3: Using Commands ................................................................................................................ 37
Chapter 4: Specifying Coordinates ........................................................................................................ 61
Chapter 5: Setting Up a Drawing .......................................................................................................... 97

Part II: Drawing in Two Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Chapter 6: Drawing Simple Lines........................................................................................................ 115
Chapter 7: Drawing Curves and Points ............................................................................................... 123
Chapter 8: Viewing Your Drawing ...................................................................................................... 139
Chapter 9: Editing Your Drawing with Basic Tools.............................................................................. 169
Chapter 10: Editing Your Drawing with Advanced Tools .................................................................... 193
Chapter 11: Organizing Drawings with Layers, Colors, Linetypes, and Lineweights ............................ 255
Chapter 12: Obtaining Information from Your Drawing ..................................................................... 289
Chapter 13: Creating Text................................................................................................................... 309
Chapter 14: Drawing Dimensions ....................................................................................................... 361
Chapter 15: Creating Dimension Styles ............................................................................................... 411
Chapter 16: Drawing Complex Objects............................................................................................... 443
Chapter 17: Plotting and Printing Your Drawing ................................................................................. 487

Part III: Working with Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523
Chapter 18: Working with Blocks and Attributes ................................................................................ 525
Chapter 19: Referencing Other Drawings ............................................................................................ 591
Chapter 20: Working with External Databases .................................................................................... 613

Part IV: Drawing in Three Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643
Chapter 21: Specifying 3D Coordinates .............................................................................................. 645
Chapter 22: Viewing 3D Drawings ...................................................................................................... 671
Chapter 23: Creating 3D Surfaces ....................................................................................................... 717

Chapter 24: Creating Solids and Editing in 3D ................................................................................... 757
Chapter 25: Rendering in 3D .............................................................................................................. 831

viii


Part V: Organizing and Managing Drawings. . . . . . . . . . . . . 863
Chapter 26: Keeping Control of Your Drawings .................................................................................. 865
Chapter 27: Working with Other Applications ................................................................................... 923
Chapter 28: Creating Electronic Output.............................................................................................. 947

Part VI: Customizing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT . . . . . . . . . 971
Chapter 29: Customizing Commands, Toolbars, and Tool Palettes ..................................................... 973
Chapter 30: Creating Macros and Slide Shows .................................................................................... 995
Chapter 31: Creating Your Own Linetypes and Hatch Patterns ......................................................... 1007
Chapter 32: Creating Shapes and Fonts ............................................................................................ 1019
Chapter 33: Customizing the Ribbon and Menus .............................................................................. 1031

Part VII: Programming AutoCAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1059
Chapter 34: Understanding AutoLISP and Visual LISP Basics ........................................................... 1061
Chapter 35: Exploring AutoLISP Further .......................................................................................... 1075
Chapter 36: Exploring Advanced AutoLISP Topics ........................................................................... 1099
Chapter 37: Programming with Visual Basic for Applications............................................................ 1115

Part VIII: Appendixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1143
Appendix A: Installing and Configuring AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT ................................................ 1145
Appendix B: AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Resources ......................................................................... 1177
Appendix C: What’s on the DVD-ROM ............................................................................................. 1183
Index ................................................................................................................................................ 1191

ix


x


Foreword  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  xxxvii
Acknowledgments  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xxxviii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xxxix

Part I: AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Basics

1

Quick Start: Drawing a Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Summary .................................................................................................................................... 13

Chapter 1: Starting to Draw  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
AutoCAD’s Advantages ............................................................................................................... 15
Comparing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT ..................................................................................... 16
Starting AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT ........................................................................................... 17
Creating a New Drawing............................................................................................................. 17
Using the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Interface.......................................................................... 17
The drawing area.............................................................................................................. 18
The UCS icon......................................................................................................... 19
The crosshairs ........................................................................................................ 20
The ribbon and Quick Access toolbar ............................................................................... 20
Using the Application menu ............................................................................................. 21
The command line and dynamic input tooltip .................................................................. 22
The status bar ................................................................................................................... 22

Creating a New Folder ................................................................................................................ 22
Using the Interface...................................................................................................................... 23
Saving a Drawing ........................................................................................................................ 25
Closing a Drawing and Exiting from AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT ............................................... 27
Summary .................................................................................................................................... 28

Chapter 2: Opening a Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Creating a New Drawing from a Template .................................................................................. 29
Working with Templates ............................................................................................................ 31
Customizing the default template ..................................................................................... 32
Creating your own templates ............................................................................................ 32
Creating a Drawing with Default Settings.................................................................................... 33
Opening an Existing Drawing ..................................................................................................... 33
Using other ways to open drawings .................................................................................. 34
Switching among open drawings ...................................................................................... 34
Saving a Drawing under a New Name......................................................................................... 35
Summary .................................................................................................................................... 36

xi


Contents

Chapter 3: Using Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
The AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Interface .................................................................................. 37
Using the ribbon .............................................................................................................. 38
Using menus .................................................................................................................... 39
Using shortcut menus ...................................................................................................... 39
Using dialog boxes ........................................................................................................... 40
Using toolbars .................................................................................................................. 40

Using palettes ................................................................................................................... 41
Tool palettes ..................................................................................................................... 41
The Command Line and Dynamic Input..................................................................................... 42
Using Dynamic Input ....................................................................................................... 43
Understanding command names ...................................................................................... 44
Responding to commands ................................................................................................ 45
Command Techniques................................................................................................................ 47
Repeating commands ....................................................................................................... 47
Using recent input ............................................................................................................ 48
Canceling commands ....................................................................................................... 48
Undoing a command ........................................................................................................ 49
Redoing a command......................................................................................................... 50
Using one command within another command ................................................................ 51
Of Mice and Pucks ..................................................................................................................... 52
Getting Help ............................................................................................................................... 54
Getting help on a command ............................................................................................. 54
Finding help with Quickstart links ................................................................................... 54
Using the main Help system ............................................................................................. 55
The Contents tab.................................................................................................... 55
The Index tab......................................................................................................... 55
The Search tab ....................................................................................................... 55
Working with Help screens .............................................................................................. 56
Using the InfoCenter ........................................................................................................ 57
Search Help ........................................................................................................... 57
The Communication Center ................................................................................... 57
Favorites ................................................................................................................ 57
Summary .................................................................................................................................... 58

Chapter 4: Specifying Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Understanding the X,Y Coordinate System ................................................................................. 61

Drawing units................................................................................................................... 62
Types of measurement notation........................................................................................ 62
Typing Coordinates .................................................................................................................... 62
Using the Dynamic Input tooltip to enter coordinates ...................................................... 63
Typing coordinates in the Dynamic Input tooltip ................................................... 63
Specifying Dynamic Input settings ......................................................................... 63
Overriding Dynamic Input settings ........................................................................ 66
Absolute Cartesian coordinates......................................................................................... 66
Relative Cartesian coordinates .......................................................................................... 68
Polar coordinates .............................................................................................................. 69

xii


Contents

Direct distance entry ........................................................................................................ 71
Orthogonal mode ............................................................................................................. 71
Polar tracking ................................................................................................................... 72
Setting polar tracking angles .................................................................................. 72
Using polar tracking............................................................................................... 73
Displaying Coordinates............................................................................................................... 75
Picking Coordinates on the Screen ............................................................................................. 76
Snap settings .................................................................................................................... 76
Snapping to a grid .................................................................................................. 77
Snapping at polar angles ........................................................................................ 78
The grid ................................................................................................................. 78
Object snaps..................................................................................................................... 81
Running object snaps and Object Snap mode ................................................................... 85
Overriding Coordinate Settings .................................................................................................. 86

Locating Points ........................................................................................................................... 89
Object snap tracking ........................................................................................................ 89
Using the temporary tracking feature ............................................................................... 93
Point filters ....................................................................................................................... 93
From feature .................................................................................................................... 94
Summary .................................................................................................................................... 95

Chapter 5: Setting Up a Drawing  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Choosing Unit Types .................................................................................................................. 97
Setting the drawing units.................................................................................................. 98
Setting the angle type ....................................................................................................... 99
Setting the angle measure and direction ......................................................................... 100
Drawing Limits ......................................................................................................................... 101
Understanding Scales................................................................................................................ 102
Working with scale formats ............................................................................................ 103
Using annotative scales ................................................................................................... 104
Customizing the scale list ............................................................................................... 106
Deciding on a scale and sheet size .................................................................................. 107
Creating a Titleblock ................................................................................................................ 107
Specifying Common Setup Options .......................................................................................... 108
Customizing with the MVSETUP Command and Setup Wizards .............................................. 110
Summary .................................................................................................................................. 111

Part II: Drawing in Two Dimensions

113

Chapter 6: Drawing Simple Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Using the LINE Command ....................................................................................................... 115
Drawing Rectangles .................................................................................................................. 117

Drawing Polygons..................................................................................................................... 117
Creating Construction Lines ..................................................................................................... 120
Creating Rays............................................................................................................................ 121
Summary .................................................................................................................................. 122

xiii


Contents

Chapter 7: Drawing Curves and Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Drawing Circles ........................................................................................................................ 123
Understanding the circle options .................................................................................... 123
Drawing circles............................................................................................................... 124
Drawing Arcs ............................................................................................................................ 126
Understanding arc options ............................................................................................. 126
Drawing arcs .................................................................................................................. 127
Creating Ellipses and Elliptical Arcs .......................................................................................... 130
Understanding ellipse options ........................................................................................ 130
Creating ellipses ................................................................................................... 130
Creating elliptical arcs .......................................................................................... 131
Drawing ellipses ............................................................................................................. 131
Making Donuts ......................................................................................................................... 133
Understanding DONUT options ..................................................................................... 133
Drawing donuts.............................................................................................................. 134
Placing Points ........................................................................................................................... 134
Changing the point style ................................................................................................ 134
Creating points ............................................................................................................... 135
Summary .................................................................................................................................. 137

Chapter 8: Viewing Your Drawing  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Regenerating and Redrawing the Display .................................................................................. 139
Panning .................................................................................................................................... 140
Using the PAN command ............................................................................................... 140
Using the scroll bars ....................................................................................................... 140
Using the ZOOM Command..................................................................................................... 140
Understanding ZOOM options ....................................................................................... 141
Using ZOOM Dynamic ................................................................................................... 142
Using the SteeringWheel .......................................................................................................... 145
Creating Named Views ............................................................................................................. 146
Saving a view.................................................................................................................. 146
Displaying a view ........................................................................................................... 150
Managing named views .................................................................................................. 150
Creating animated presentations from named views ....................................................... 150
Using named views to manage a drawing ....................................................................... 153
A drawing with a view ......................................................................................... 154
Partially opening a drawing .................................................................................. 154
Using named views with sheet sets ....................................................................... 155
Working with Tiled Viewports ................................................................................................. 155
Configuring tiled viewports ............................................................................................ 156
Creating tiled viewports ....................................................................................... 156
Removing tiled viewports ..................................................................................... 157
Using tiled viewports...................................................................................................... 158
Saving and restoring viewport configurations ................................................................. 158
Using Snap Rotation ................................................................................................................. 160
Understanding User Coordinate Systems .................................................................................. 161
Understanding UCS options ........................................................................................... 162
Saving and restoring a custom UCS ................................................................................ 163

xiv

Contents

Controlling the UCS icon ............................................................................................... 164
Using a custom UCS....................................................................................................... 165
Creating Isometric Drawings..................................................................................................... 166
Understanding isometric planes ..................................................................................... 167
Drawing in Isometric mode ............................................................................................ 167
Summary .................................................................................................................................. 168

Chapter 9: Editing Your Drawing with Basic Tools  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Editing a Drawing ..................................................................................................................... 169
Understanding object-selection basics ............................................................................ 170
Erasing objects ............................................................................................................... 170
Moving objects ............................................................................................................... 172
Copying objects.............................................................................................................. 174
Copying and moving objects from one drawing to another ............................................ 177
Rotating objects .............................................................................................................. 177
Scaling objects ................................................................................................................ 180
Using the CHANGE command ....................................................................................... 182
Changing lines ..................................................................................................... 182
Changing circles................................................................................................... 183
Selecting Objects ...................................................................................................................... 184
Selecting objects after choosing a command ................................................................... 184
Cycling through objects ................................................................................................. 187
Selecting objects before choosing a command ................................................................ 187
Implied windowing ........................................................................................................ 187
Customizing the selection process .................................................................................. 189
Pickbox Size......................................................................................................... 189

Selection Preview ................................................................................................. 190
Noun/verb selection ............................................................................................. 190
Use Shift to Add to Selection ................................................................................ 190
Press and Drag ..................................................................................................... 190
Implied windowing .............................................................................................. 191
Object grouping ................................................................................................... 191
Associative Hatch ................................................................................................. 191
Summary .................................................................................................................................. 191

Chapter 10: Editing Your Drawing with Advanced Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Copying and Moving Objects ................................................................................................... 193
Mirroring objects ............................................................................................................ 194
Using the ARRAY command ........................................................................................... 195
Rectangular arrays ................................................................................................ 195
Polar (circular) arrays ........................................................................................... 197
Offsetting objects ........................................................................................................... 200
Aligning objects.............................................................................................................. 203
Using the ALIGN command ................................................................................. 203
Using the 3DALIGN command ............................................................................ 204
Resizing Commands ................................................................................................................. 206
Trimming objects ........................................................................................................... 206
Extending objects ........................................................................................................... 210
Lengthening objects ....................................................................................................... 212
Stretching objects ........................................................................................................... 214

xv


Contents

Using Construction Commands ................................................................................................ 218
Breaking objects ............................................................................................................. 218
Joining objects................................................................................................................ 218
Creating chamfered corners ............................................................................................ 221
Creating rounded corners ............................................................................................... 223
Creating a Revision Cloud ........................................................................................................ 226
Hiding Objects with a Wipeout ................................................................................................ 227
Constraining Objects with Parameters ...................................................................................... 228
Using geometric constraints ........................................................................................... 228
Auto-constraining objects ............................................................................................... 230
Using dimensional constraints ........................................................................................ 230
Working with the Parameters Manager ........................................................................... 231
Double-Clicking to Edit Objects ............................................................................................... 233
Grips ........................................................................................................................................ 234
Stretching with grips ...................................................................................................... 236
Stretching one line ............................................................................................... 236
Stretching multiple lines ...................................................................................... 236
Moving with grips .......................................................................................................... 237
Rotating with grips ......................................................................................................... 237
Scaling with grips ........................................................................................................... 237
Mirroring with grips ....................................................................................................... 238
Customizing grips .......................................................................................................... 240
Editing with the Quick Properties Palette and the Properties Palette ......................................... 241
Using the Quick Properties palette ................................................................................. 241
Using the Properties palette ............................................................................................ 243
Selection Filters ........................................................................................................................ 245
Using Quick Select to select objects ................................................................................ 245
Using the FILTER command .......................................................................................... 247
Creating a single filter .......................................................................................... 247
Adding a second filter .......................................................................................... 248

Naming and editing filters .............................................................................................. 249
Using filters .................................................................................................................... 249
Groups ..................................................................................................................................... 251
Creating and modifying groups in AutoCAD .................................................................. 251
Creating a new group ........................................................................................... 252
Changing a group ................................................................................................ 252
Creating and modifying groups in AutoCAD LT ............................................................. 253
Creating a new group ........................................................................................... 253
Changing a group in AutoCAD LT ....................................................................... 253
Using groups .................................................................................................................. 254
Summary .................................................................................................................................. 254

Chapter 11: Organizing Drawings with Layers, Colors,
Linetypes, and Lineweights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Working with Layers ................................................................................................................ 255
Understanding layers...................................................................................................... 256
Creating new layers ........................................................................................................ 256
Naming the layer.................................................................................................. 258
Assigning a color .................................................................................................. 258
Assigning a linetype ............................................................................................. 261
Assigning a lineweight.......................................................................................... 262

xvi


Contents

Using layers .................................................................................................................... 264
Switching the current layer .................................................................................. 265
Changing a layer’s state ........................................................................................ 265

Saving layer states ................................................................................................ 267
Changing an existing object’s layer ....................................................................... 269
Making an object’s layer current........................................................................... 269
Using special layer tools ................................................................................................. 269
Modifying layers ............................................................................................................. 272
Managing columns ............................................................................................... 272
Filtering the layer list ........................................................................................... 273
Changing a layer’s color, linetype, and lineweight ................................................ 274
Renaming layers ................................................................................................... 275
Deleting layers ..................................................................................................... 275
Purging layers and linetypes ................................................................................. 275
Changing Object Color, Linetype, and Lineweight.................................................................... 277
Changing an object’s color ............................................................................................. 277
Changing the current color............................................................................................. 278
Changing an object’s linetype ......................................................................................... 278
Changing the current linetype ........................................................................................ 279
Changing an object’s lineweight ..................................................................................... 279
Changing the current lineweight .................................................................................... 280
Working with Linetype Scales .................................................................................................. 282
Changing linetype spacing by using a different linetype ................................................. 282
Changing linetype spacing by changing the global linetype scale .................................... 282
Changing linetype spacing by changing the object linetype scale .................................... 284
Changing the current object linetype scale ........................................................... 284
Changing an existing object’s linetype scale ......................................................... 284
Importing Layers and Linetypes from Other Drawings.............................................................. 286
Matching Properties .................................................................................................................. 287
Summary .................................................................................................................................. 288

Chapter 12: Obtaining Information from Your Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Drawing-Level Information ....................................................................................................... 289

Listing the status of your drawing................................................................................... 289
Listing system variables .................................................................................................. 290
Tracking drawing time ................................................................................................... 291
Object-Level Information.......................................................................................................... 293
Listing objects ................................................................................................................ 293
Finding coordinates........................................................................................................ 294
Measuring objects........................................................................................................... 294
Getting information from the Properties palette.............................................................. 297
Getting information from the Quick Properties panel ..................................................... 297
Dividing and Spacing Commands ............................................................................................. 298
Dividing objects ............................................................................................................. 298
Measuring objects........................................................................................................... 299
AutoCAD’s Calculator ............................................................................................................... 300
Calculating numbers ...................................................................................................... 301
Using coordinates ........................................................................................................... 302
Using object snaps.......................................................................................................... 303
Using the scientific calculator ......................................................................................... 303

xvii


Contents

Converting units ............................................................................................................ 304
Working with QuickCalc variables ................................................................................. 304
Using QuickCalc in the Properties palette ...................................................................... 305
Summary .................................................................................................................................. 308

Chapter 13: Creating Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Creating Single-Line Text ......................................................................................................... 309

Justifying single-line text ................................................................................................ 310
Setting the height ........................................................................................................... 311
Setting the rotation angle................................................................................................ 312
Adding special characters and formatting ....................................................................... 312
Editing single-line text.................................................................................................... 314
Scaling text .......................................................................................................... 315
Justifying text ....................................................................................................... 316
Understanding Text Styles ........................................................................................................ 317
Creating a new text style ................................................................................................ 318
Font ..................................................................................................................... 318
Size ...................................................................................................................... 319
Effects .................................................................................................................. 319
Renaming and deleting text styles................................................................................... 320
Modifying a text style ..................................................................................................... 321
Making a style current or changing a text object’s style................................................... 321
Importing a text style ..................................................................................................... 322
Creating Multiline Text ............................................................................................................. 322
Using the In-Place Text Editor ........................................................................................ 322
Specifying and changing line spacing ................................................................... 329
Specifying width and rotation .............................................................................. 330
Creating text for different scales ..................................................................................... 330
Editing paragraph text .................................................................................................... 332
Importing text ................................................................................................................ 333
Creating Tables ......................................................................................................................... 335
Inserting a table .............................................................................................................. 335
Specifying a table style ................................................................................................... 336
General properties................................................................................................ 338
Text properties ..................................................................................................... 338
Border properties ................................................................................................. 338
Completing the table style .................................................................................... 339

Adding data to a table .................................................................................................... 339
Entering data into a table ..................................................................................... 339
Linking to external data ....................................................................................... 340
Extracting data from drawing objects ................................................................... 342
Modifying a table............................................................................................................ 345
Changing the text................................................................................................. 345
Changing table properties .................................................................................... 345
Changing cell properties ...................................................................................... 345
Breaking a table into sections ............................................................................... 347
Inserting Fields ......................................................................................................................... 350
Creating fields ................................................................................................................ 350
Editing and updating fields ............................................................................................ 352

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Managing Text .......................................................................................................................... 354
Using Quicktext ............................................................................................................. 354
Using AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT fonts ......................................................................... 354
Freezing text layers......................................................................................................... 354
Using MIRRTEXT ........................................................................................................... 354
Finding Text in Your Drawing .................................................................................................. 356
Checking Your Spelling ............................................................................................................ 357
Summary .................................................................................................................................. 359

Chapter 14: Drawing Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Working with Dimensions ........................................................................................................ 361
The elements of a dimension .......................................................................................... 361

Preparing to dimension .................................................................................................. 363
Drawing Linear Dimensions...................................................................................................... 363
Specifying the dimensioned object ................................................................................. 364
Using dimension options ................................................................................................ 366
MText .................................................................................................................. 366
Text ..................................................................................................................... 367
Angle ................................................................................................................... 367
Horizontal/vertical ............................................................................................... 367
Rotated ................................................................................................................ 368
Creating jogged dimension lines ..................................................................................... 368
Drawing Aligned Dimensions ................................................................................................... 369
Specifying the dimensioned object ................................................................................. 369
Using the options ........................................................................................................... 370
Creating Baseline and Continued Dimensions........................................................................... 371
Drawing baseline dimensions ......................................................................................... 371
Drawing continued dimensions ...................................................................................... 372
Dimensioning Arcs and Circles ................................................................................................. 374
Marking arc and circle centers ........................................................................................ 375
Dimensioning arc lengths ............................................................................................... 375
Creating radial dimensions ............................................................................................. 376
Creating diameter dimensions ........................................................................................ 376
Dimensioning Angles ................................................................................................................ 377
Creating Ordinate Dimensions.................................................................................................. 380
Drawing Leaders ....................................................................................................................... 383
Creating a multileader .................................................................................................... 383
Editing multileaders ....................................................................................................... 384
Creating a multileader style ............................................................................................ 384
Aligning and combining leaders ..................................................................................... 387
Using Quick Dimension ........................................................................................................... 391
Creating Inspection Dimensions ............................................................................................... 394

Creating Geometric Tolerances ................................................................................................. 395
Starting the tolerance frame ............................................................................................ 396
Inserting the tolerance frame .......................................................................................... 398
Editing a tolerance frame ................................................................................................ 398

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Editing Dimensions .................................................................................................................. 400
Editing associativity ........................................................................................................ 400
DIMREASSOCIATE ............................................................................................. 400
DIMDISASSOCIATE ............................................................................................ 401
DIMREGEN ......................................................................................................... 401
Using the DIMEDIT command ....................................................................................... 402
Using the DIMTEDIT command ..................................................................................... 402
Flipping dimension arrows ............................................................................................. 404
Editing dimension text ................................................................................................... 404
Using the Properties palette to edit dimensions .............................................................. 404
Changing annotative scales ............................................................................................. 404
Spacing dimensions equally apart ................................................................................... 405
Breaking dimensions ...................................................................................................... 405
Using Quick Dimension to edit dimensions ................................................................... 406
Using grips to edit dimensions ....................................................................................... 407
Editing objects and dimensions together ........................................................................ 407
Summary .................................................................................................................................. 409

Chapter 15: Creating Dimension Styles  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
Understanding Dimension Styles .............................................................................................. 411

Defining a New Dimension Style .............................................................................................. 413
Managing dimension lines .............................................................................................. 413
Dimension lines ................................................................................................... 414
Extension lines ..................................................................................................... 415
Defining symbols and arrows ......................................................................................... 416
Defining arrowheads ............................................................................................ 416
Defining symbols ................................................................................................. 418
Managing dimension text ............................................................................................... 420
Text appearance ................................................................................................... 420
Text placement .................................................................................................... 421
Text alignment ..................................................................................................... 422
Fitting dimensions into tight spaces ............................................................................... 423
Fit Options .......................................................................................................... 424
Text Placement .................................................................................................... 426
Scale for Dimension Features ............................................................................... 427
Defining primary units ................................................................................................... 428
Linear Dimensions ............................................................................................... 430
Angular Dimensions............................................................................................. 431
Defining alternate units .................................................................................................. 431
Formatting tolerances ..................................................................................................... 434
Changing Dimension Styles ...................................................................................................... 436
Choosing a new current dimension style ........................................................................ 436
Creating a variant of a dimension style ........................................................................... 436
Modifying a dimension to use a new dimension style ..................................................... 437
Modifying dimension styles ............................................................................................ 437
Overriding a dimension style.......................................................................................... 437
Updating dimensions ..................................................................................................... 438
Comparing dimension styles .......................................................................................... 438
Copying dimension styles from other drawings .............................................................. 439
Summary .................................................................................................................................. 442

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Chapter 16: Drawing Complex Objects  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
Creating and Editing Polylines .................................................................................................. 443
Using the PLINE command ............................................................................................ 444
Editing polylines with the PEDIT command ................................................................... 447
Editing polylines with the Properties palette or Quick Properties palette ........................ 449
Drawing and Editing Splines .................................................................................................... 450
Creating splines .............................................................................................................. 451
Editing splines................................................................................................................ 452
Creating Regions....................................................................................................................... 455
Creating Boundaries ................................................................................................................. 457
Creating Hatches ...................................................................................................................... 458
Understanding hatch patterns ........................................................................................ 459
Defining a hatch ............................................................................................................. 460
Specifying the hatch type and pattern .................................................................. 460
Setting the hatch angle and scale .......................................................................... 461
Setting the hatch origin ........................................................................................ 463
Determining the hatch boundary .................................................................................... 463
Islands ................................................................................................................. 465
Other advanced options ....................................................................................... 466
Dragging and dropping hatch patterns ........................................................................... 467
Creating gradient fills ..................................................................................................... 467
Editing hatches............................................................................................................... 469
Using the SOLID command............................................................................................ 471
Creating and Editing Multilines ................................................................................................ 471

Creating a multiline style ................................................................................................ 472
Defining multiline style properties ....................................................................... 473
Saving a new multiline style ................................................................................. 474
Loading a multiline style ...................................................................................... 474
Drawing multilines ......................................................................................................... 476
Editing multilines ........................................................................................................... 478
Creating Dlines in AutoCAD LT................................................................................................ 480
Using the SKETCH Command .................................................................................................. 480
Digitizing Drawings with the TABLET Command ..................................................................... 483
Summary .................................................................................................................................. 484

Chapter 17: Plotting and Printing Your Drawing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487
Preparing a Drawing for Plotting or Printing ............................................................................. 487
Doing a draft plot ........................................................................................................... 487
Plotting a drawing from model space.............................................................................. 488
Creating a Layout in Paper Space .............................................................................................. 488
Entering paper space ...................................................................................................... 488
Using the Layout Wizard ................................................................................................ 489
Laying out a drawing in paper space on your own.......................................................... 491
Managing layouts ................................................................................................. 492
Using the Page Setup Manager ............................................................................. 493
Preparing layers ................................................................................................... 495
Inserting a titleblock ............................................................................................ 495
Creating floating viewports .................................................................................. 495
Returning to model space while on a layout ......................................................... 497

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Setting viewport scale........................................................................................... 497
Locking the viewport ........................................................................................... 498
Setting viewport size, placement, and display ...................................................... 498
Controlling scale for noncontinuous linetypes ..................................................... 498
Setting layer visibility and properties within a viewport ....................................... 499
Setting hidden and shaded views for viewports .................................................... 500
Annotating a layout ........................................................................................................ 501
Using annotation objects on a layout.................................................................... 502
Adding text and dimensions in paper space ......................................................... 504
Export a layout to model space of a new drawing ................................................ 505
Saving a layout template ................................................................................................. 505
Working with Plot Styles .......................................................................................................... 509
Setting the plot-style mode ............................................................................................. 509
Creating a plot-style table ............................................................................................... 510
Creating a named plot-style table ......................................................................... 510
Editing a plot-style table ...................................................................................... 512
Attaching a plot-style table to a layout ............................................................................ 514
Setting the plot-style property for a layer or object ......................................................... 515
Plotting a Drawing .................................................................................................................... 517
Specifying plot settings ................................................................................................... 518
Previewing your plot ...................................................................................................... 519
Creating a plot stamp ..................................................................................................... 519
Creating the plot ............................................................................................................ 520
Summary .................................................................................................................................. 522

Part III: Working with Data

523

Chapter 18: Working with Blocks and Attributes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525
Combining Objects into Blocks ................................................................................................ 526
Understanding base points and insertion points ............................................................. 526
Creating a block ............................................................................................................. 527
Redefining a block .......................................................................................................... 529
Saving blocks as files ...................................................................................................... 530
Replacing an existing file ................................................................................................ 531
Inserting Blocks and Files into Drawings .................................................................................. 532
Using the Insert dialog box............................................................................................. 533
Using the DesignCenter .................................................................................................. 535
Managing Blocks....................................................................................................................... 538
Working with layers ....................................................................................................... 538
Exploding blocks............................................................................................................ 541
Using the XPLODE command ........................................................................................ 542
Editing blocks ................................................................................................................ 543
Double-clicking to edit blocks.............................................................................. 543
Editing blocks with grips ..................................................................................... 543
Updating blocks ................................................................................................... 544
Substituting blocks .............................................................................................. 544

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Creating and Using Dynamic Blocks ......................................................................................... 545
Understanding action-based parameters ......................................................................... 546
Understanding the work flow of dynamic blocks............................................................ 547
Defining a dynamic block with action-based parameters ................................................ 548
Adding a parameter.............................................................................................. 550

Adding an action .................................................................................................. 551
Adding visibility parameters ................................................................................. 554
Adding lookup parameters and actions ................................................................ 556
Using parameter sets ............................................................................................ 557
Using parametric constraints ................................................................................ 558
Creating a Block Table ......................................................................................... 559
Saving and testing dynamic blocks ....................................................................... 560
Inserting and modifying dynamic blocks ........................................................................ 560
Using Windows Features to Copy Data..................................................................................... 569
Manipulating objects with the Windows Clipboard ........................................................ 569
Using drag-and-drop ...................................................................................................... 569
Working with Attributes ........................................................................................................... 572
Creating attribute definitions .......................................................................................... 573
Mode section........................................................................................................ 573
Attribute section .................................................................................................. 574
Text Settings section ............................................................................................ 575
Insertion Point section ......................................................................................... 575
Creating the block................................................................................................ 576
Inserting blocks with attributes ...................................................................................... 578
Editing attributes ............................................................................................................ 578
Editing attribute properties in AutoCAD .............................................................. 578
Editing attribute properties in AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT .................................. 581
Making global changes in attributes ..................................................................... 582
Redefining attributes ............................................................................................ 583
Extracting a database from attributes .............................................................................. 585
Summary .................................................................................................................................. 592

Chapter 19: Referencing Other Drawings  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591
Understanding External References........................................................................................... 591
Attaching an external reference ...................................................................................... 592

Opening an xref ............................................................................................................. 593
Using the External References palette ............................................................................. 593
Editing an Xref within Your Drawing ........................................................................................ 596
Choosing the xref or block to edit .................................................................................. 596
Editing the xref .............................................................................................................. 598
Controlling Xref Display ........................................................................................................... 600
Xrefs and dependent symbols ......................................................................................... 600
Xrefs and layers .................................................................................................... 600
The XBIND command .......................................................................................... 600
Circular references ......................................................................................................... 601
Clipping xrefs................................................................................................................. 601

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