SHAHEED BHAGAT SINGH

STATE TECHNICAL CAMPUS

FEROZEPUR
DEPTT. OF MECHANICAL ENGG.
SUB.- Computer Graphics Lab Code: BTME-103 Semester: 1st/2nd

Internal Marks: 30 External Marks: 20 Total Marks: 50 L T P

0 0 2
Objective/s and Expected outcome:
Main objective of the Engineering Drawing is to introduce the students to visual science in the
form of technical graphics. General instructions related to Theory of Orthographic Projection of
points, lines, planes and solids as per the BIS codes prevalent to drawing practice will be
introduced initially. Section of solids, intersection and development of surfaces, isometric
projection and orthographic projection of simple solids/blocks will further upgrade the basic
understanding and visualization of
geometrical objects and to certain extent the machine parts.

Lab Work I: Involves hands-on practice sessions related to 2-D computer sketching.

Exercise 1: Study and draw 2-D sketching entities like lines, rectangle, parallelogram
polygon, circle etc., under SKETCH ENTITY MENU.
Exercise 2: (a) Rectangular array (b) Circular array
Exercise 3: Sketch of Metal grate
Exercise 4: Slotted Base
Exercise 5: Link
Exercise 6: Base Plate (Extruding the sketch)
Exercise 7: Bush (Revolve)
Exercise 8: Handle (Revolve)
Exercise 9: Flange coupling parts
Exercise 10: Bell Crank Lever

Lab Work-II: Using the geometric shape and size data learnt in Lab Work I, extrude or
revolve the sketch to obtain 3-D drawing. Study and practice various options
available for 3-D drawing
.
Exercise-1: Bracket Lever
Exercise 2: Hand Wheel
Exercise 3: Hexagonal Nut and Bolt
Exercise 4: Keys
Exercise 5: Body of Solid Journal Bearing
Exercise 6: Shaft
Exercise 7: Cup of Screw Jack
Exercise 8: Screw Jack Body
Exercise 9: V-Block
Exercise 10: Gland

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
Lab Work I: Involves hands-on practice sessions related to 2-D computer sketching.

Exercise 1: Study and draw 2-D sketching entities like lines, rectangle, parallelogram
polygon, circle etc., under SKETCH ENTITY MENU.

INTRODUCTION OF THE CAD SOFTWARE AND ITS UTILITIES IN THE

ENGINEERING.

INTRODUCTION
Learning to use a CAD system is similar to learning a new language. It is necessary to begin with the basic alphabet
and learn how to use it correctly and effectively through practice. This will require learning some new concepts and
skills as well as learning a different vocabulary. All CAD systems create designs using basic geometric entities. Many
of the constructions used in technical designs are based upon two-dimensional planar geometry. The method and
number of operations that are required to accomplish the constructions are different from one system to another.

In order to become effective in using a CAD system, we must learn to create geometricentities quickly and accurately.
In learning to use a CAD system, lines and circles are the first two, and perhaps the most important two, geometric
entities that one should master

the skills of creating and modifying. Straight lines and circles are used in almost all technical designs. In examining
the different types of planar geometric entities, the importance of lines and circles becomes obvious. Triangles and
polygons are planar figures bounded by straight lines. Ellipses and splines can be constructed by connecting arcs
with different radii. As one gains some experience in creating lines and circles, similar procedures can be applied to
create other geometric entities. In this chapter, the different ways of creating lines and circles in AutoCAD® 2006 are
examined.

What Is AutoCAD?
AutoCAD is a powerful tool for drafting and design purposes. AutoCAD 2006 incorporates many new features to
enhance flexibility and drawing control. To reflect this extra functionality, many new ActiveX objects, properties,
methods, and events have been included for improved programmability.

Computer Graphics:The term computer graphics includes almost everything on computers that is not
text or sound. Today almost every computer can do some graphics, and people have even come to expect to control
their computer through icons and pictures rather than just by typing.

CAD: CAD means computer aided drafting. In our lab we are using AutoCAD 2006 software manufactured by
Autodesk Company (USA).

UTILTIES
Drawings in which measurements and precision are important because these kinds of drawings often get used to
build something. The drawings you create with AutoCAD must adhere to standards established long ago for hand-
drafted drawings. The up-front investment to use AutoCAD is certainly more expensive than the investment needed to
use pencil and paper, and the learning curve is much steeper, too. Why bother? The key reasons for using AutoCAD
rather than pencil and paper are:

Precision: Creating lines, circles, and other shapes of the exact dimensions is easier with AutoCAD
than with pencils.

Modifiability: Drawings are much easier to modify on the computer screen than on paper. CAD
modifications are a lot cleaner, too.

Efficiency: Creating many kinds of drawings is faster with a CAD program — especially drawings that involve
repetition, such as floor plans in a multistory building. But that efficiency takes skill and practice. If you’re an
accomplished pencil-and-paper drafter, don’t expect CAD to be faster at first!

OTHER ENGG. SOFTWARES USED FOR DRAFTING AND DESIGINING PURPOSE:

INVENTOR, IDEAS, PROE, SOLID WORS, UNIGRAPHICS, CATIA, MAYA, COREL,

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
TYPE OF CORDINATE SYSTEM USED IN AUTOCAD
There is only 3 AutoCAD coordinates system you should know. Absolute coordinates, Relative coordinates
and Polar coordinates.

Absolute Coordinates
All input points specify in your drawing using standard Cartesian coordinates x and y. Using absolute
coordinate, points entered by typing x,y [Enter]

Relative Coordinates
After first points entered, your next points can be entered by specifying the next coordinate
compare/relative from the first points. The relative coordinate started with symbol “@” tell AutoCAD it
was a relative coordinates. Using relative coordinate, points entered by typing @x,y [Enter]

Polar Coordinates
Polar coordinates used when you need to draw the next points at specify angle. Polar coordinates system
in AutoCAD specifies distance length at which angle. Using polar coordinate, points entered by typing
@distance<angle [Enter]

EXAMPLE OF AUTOCAD COORDINATES USAGE :

Absolute coordinates

Enter LINE command: L [Enter]

Start line at point A: 0,0 [Enter]
End first line at point B: 2,2 [Enter]
End of second line at point C: 2,3 [Enter]

Relative coordinates

Enter LINE command: L [Enter]

Start line at point A: 0,0 [Enter]
End first line at point B: @2,2 [Enter]
End of second line at point C: @0,1 [Enter]

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
 Polar coordinates

Enter LINE command: L [Enter]

Start line at point A: 0,0 [Enter]
End first line at point B: @2.828<45 [Enter]
End of second line at point C: @1<90 [Enter]

WORLD COORDINATE
RDINATE SYSYEM AND USER CO
COORDINATE
RDINATE SYSTEM
There are two coordinate systems: a fixed system called the world coordinate system (WCS) and a movable system
called the user coordinate system (UCS). By default when you start a new (blank) drawing you use the World
Coordinate System (WCS). This is your (0,0,0) point.

Normally in 2D views, the WCS X axis is horizontal and the Y axis is vertical. The WCS origin is where the X and Y axes
intersect (0,0). All objects in a drawing file are defined by their WCS coordinates. However, it is usually more
convenient
ient to create and edit objects based on the movable UCS.

To save your newly determined UCS do the following:

1. Click View tab>UCS panel>Named UCS. The new UCS is displayed in the UCS list as UNNAMED.
2. In the UCS dialog box, Named UCSs tab, select UNNAMED and enter a new name. (You can also
select UNNAMED, and rightright-click. Click Rename.)
3. Click OK. You can use up to 255 characters, including letters, digits, and the special characters dollar
sign ($), hyphen ((-),
), and underscore (_). All UCS names are converted to uppercase.

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
LAB/ME/SBSSTC
STUDY OF THE VARIOUS TOOLBAR OPTIONS AND EXERCISES TO FAMILIARIZE ALL THE DRAWING TOOLS.
STUDY OF DRAW AND MODIFY TOOLBAR
Icon Command Command Executed Icon Command Command Executed
Line Draw Straight Line Erase Removes objects from a
drawing

Ray Draw a Ray Copy Draws duplicate objects

X-Line or Draw An Infinite Line Mirror Draws a mirror image copy of

construction the object
line
M-Line Draw Multiple Parallel Lines Offset Draws concentric circles,
parallel lines, parallel curves

P-Line Draw single segment line Array Draws multiple copies of an

object in rectangular or
circular a pattern
Polygon Draw a regular closed Move Displays objects at a
polygon specified distance in a
specified direction
Rectangle Draw a rectangle Rotate Rotates the object about a
base point

Arc Draw an arc Scale Enlarges or reduces object in

X, Y, and Z direction to the
same scale
Circle Draw a circle Stretch Moves or stretches objects

Revision Cloud Draw revolved cloud Trim Trims object at a cutting edge
defined by other objects

Spline Draw a quadratic or cubic Extend Extends an object to meet

spline another object

Ellipse Draw an ellipse or an Break at point Break object from a point

elliptical arc

Ellipse arc Draw an elliptical arc Break Erases parts of objects or

splits an object into two

Insert Block Inserting a block Join For joining two or more lines

Make Block Making a block Chamfer Bevels edges of objects

Point Draw Point Fillet Fillets and rounds the edges

of objects

Hatch Draws hatching lines in Explode Breaks the object into its
selected enclosed area component objects

Gradient To fill colour in selected Lengthen To increase or decrease the

enclosed area Length of a object

Region To make closed single Properties To see or change the

portion properties of an object

Table Draw table Match To match properties of two

properties objects

Multiline Text Draw multiline text

OBJECT SNAP TOOLS

End Point Quadrant Tangent

Mid Point Intersection Nearest

Center Point Extension Intersection

Node Perpendicular Parallel

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
EXERCISES TO FAMILIARIZE ALL THE DRAWING TOOLS:
Exercises: (All dimensions are in inches.)

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
Study the basic initial setting and viewing of the drafting software interfaces.
Starting Up AutoCAD® 2006
1. Select the AutoCAD 2006 option on the Program menu or select the AutoCAD 2006 icon on the Desktop. Once the
program is loaded intomemory, the AutoCAD® 2006 drawing screen will appear on the screen.

 Note that AutoCAD automatically assigns generic name, Drawing X, as new drawings are created. In our
example, AutoCAD opened the graphics window using the default system units and assigned the drawing
name Drawing1.

 Title Bar - This will show you what program you are running and what the current filename is.
 Pull-down menus - These are the standard pull-down menus through which you can access almost all
commands.
 Main toolbar - This has most of the standard Windows icons, as well as the most common AutoCAD
commands.
 Property toolbar - This toolbar gives a way to quickly modify an object's properties, such as layer and
linetype.
 Floating toolbar - This is a toolbar that can be moved around the screen, or 'docked' as the main tool bar is .
 Drawing Area - This is where you draw. You have an almost infinite area to draw and this is just a 'section'
of the entire space.
 Scrollbars - These work like in other windows programs. You can also use the PAN command to move

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
 around your drawing.
 WCS Icon - This is here to show you which direction positive X and positive Y go. The W means you're in the
World Co-ordinate System. (It can be changed to a User Co-ordinate System.)
 Status Bar - These icons give you updates on items like reference files program updates and print status.
 Command Window - When you type a command, you will see it here. AutoCAD uses this space to
'prompt' you for information. It will give you a lot of information and tell you where you are in the command.
Watch this line while learning.
 Status bar - This allows to see and change different modes of drawing such as Ortho, Osnaps, Grid,
Otrack, etc.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
DRAWING UNITS SETUP
[Link] object we construct in a CAD system is measured in units. We should determine the value of the units within
the CAD system before creating the first geometric entities.

2. In the Drawing Units dialog box, set the Length Type to Decimal. This will set the measurement to the default English
units, inches.

3. Set the Precision to two digits after the decimal point as shown in the above figure.

4. Pick OK to exit the Drawing Units dialog box.

______________________________________________________________________________________

DRAWING AREA SETUP

Next, we will set up the Drawing Limits; setting the Drawing Limits controls the extents of the display of the grid. It also
serves as a visual reference that marks the working area. It can also be used to prevent construction outside the grid
limits and as a plot option that defines an area to be plotted/printed. Note that this setting does not limit the region for
geometry construction.

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
 2. In the command prompt area, near the bottom of the AutoCAD drawing screen, the message “Reset Model
Space Limits: Specify lower left corner or [On/Off] <0.00,0.00>:” is displayed. Press the ENTER key once to
accept the default coordinates <0.00,0.00>.

3. In the command prompt area, the message “Specify upper right corner <0.00,0.00>:” is displayed. Press the
ENTER key once to accept the default coordinates <12.00,9.00>.

4. On your own, move the graphic cursor near the upper-right comer inside the drawing area and note that the
drawing area is unchanged. (The Drawing Limits command is used to set the drawing area; but the display will
not be adjusted until a display command is used.)

ZOOM ALL

Now, you can draw any drawing after basic setting. NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
USE OF VARIOUS DRAW COMMANDS OF THE DRAFTING SOFTWARE

Introduction
The Draw commands can be used to create new objects such as lines and circles. Most AutoCAD drawings are
composed purely and simply from these basic components. A good understanding of the Draw commands is
fundamental to the efficient use of AutoCAD.

The sections below cover the most frequently used Draw commands such as Line, Polyline and Circle as well as the
more advanced commands like Multiline and Multiline Style. As a newcomer to AutoCAD, you may wish to skip the
more advanced commands in order to properly master the basics. In common with most AutoCAD commands, the

You can also draw lines by entering the co

co-ordinates
ordinates of their endpoints at the command prompt rather than picking their
position from the screen.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Construction Line Com
Command
The Construction Line command creates a line of infinite length which passes through two picked points. Construction
lines are very useful for creating construction frameworks or grids within which to design. Construction lines are not
normally used as s objects in finished drawings, it is usual, therefore, to draw all your construction lines on a separate
layer which will be turned off or frozen prior to printing.

Toolbar Draw
Pull-own Draw Construction Line
Keyboard XLINE short-cut
cut XL
Command Sequence
Command: XLINE
Specify a point or [Hor/Ver/Ang/Bisect/Offset]: (pick a point)
Specify through point: (pick a second point)
Specify through point: (to end or pick another point)
You may notice that there are a number of options with this command. For example, the "Hor" and "Ver" options can be
used to draw construction lines that are truly horizontal or vertical. In both these cases, only a single pick point is
required because the direction of the line is predetermined. NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
LAB/ME/SBSSTC
Follow the command sequence below to see how you would draw a construction line using the Horizontal option.
Command Sequence
Command: XLINE
Specify a point or [Hor/Ver/Ang/Bisect/Offset]: H
Specify through point: (pick a point to position the line)
line
Specify through point: (to end or pick a point for another horizontal line)
line
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Ray Command
The Ray command creates a line similar to a construction line except that it extends infinitely in only one direction from
the first pick point. The direction of the Ray is determined by the position of the second pick point.

Toolbar custom
Pull-down Draw Ray
Keyboard custom Pull-down
down Draw Ray Keyboard RAY

Command Sequence
Command: RAY
Specify start point : (pick the start point)
Specify through point : (pick a second point to determine direction)
Specify through point : (to end or pick another point)
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Polyline Command
Polylines differ from
rom lines in that they are more complex objects. A single polyline can be composed of a number of
straight-line
line or arc segments. Polylines can also be given line widths to make them appear solid. The illustration below
shows a number of polylines to give yyou ou an idea of the flexibility of this type of line. The Polyline or Pline command is
similar to the line command except that the resulting object may be composed of a number of segments which form a single
object.

Toolbar Draw
Pull-down Draw Polyline
Keyboard PLINE short
short-cut PL

Command Sequence
Command: PLINE
Specify start point: (pick P1)
Specify next point or [Arc/Halfwidth/Length/Undo/Width]: (pick P2)
Specify next point or [Arc/Close/Halfwidth/Length/Undo/Width]: (pick P3)
Specify next point or [Arc/Close/Halfwidth
[Arc/Close/Halfwidth/Length/Undo/Width]:
/Length/Undo/Width]: (pick P4)
Specify next point or [Arc/Close/Halfwidth/Length/Undo/Width]: (pick P5)
Specify next point or [Arc/Close/Halfwidth/Length/Undo/Width]: (or C to close)
Polylines can be edited after they are created to, for example, change their width. You can do this using the PEDIT
command, Modify Object Polyline from the pull-down menu.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Rectangle Command
The
he Rectangle command is used to draw a rectangle whose sides are vertical and horizontal. The position and size of
the rectangle are defined by picking two diagonal corners. The rectangle isn't really an AutoCAD object at all. It is, in
fact, just a closed polyline which is automatically drawn for you.

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
LAB/ME/SBSSTC
Toolbar Draw
Pull-down Draw Rectangle
Keyboard RECTANGLE short
short-cuts REC, RECTANG
Command Sequence
Command: RECTANG
Specify first corner point or [Chamfer/Elevation/Fillet/Thickness/Width]:(pick P1)
Specify other corner point or [Dimensions]: (pick P2)

Say you wanted to draw a rectangle 20 drawing units long and 10 drawing units wide. The command sequence would look
like this:
Command Sequence
Command: RECTANG
Specify first corner point or [Chamfer/Elevation/Fillet/Thickness/Width]:(pick a point)
Specify other corner point or [Dimensions]: D
Specify length for rectangles <0.0000>: 20
Specify width for rectangles <0.0000>: 10
Specify other corner point or [Dimensions]: (pick a point to fix the orientation)
___________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________

The Polygon Command

The Polygon command can be used to draw any regular polygon from 3 sides up to 1024 sides. This command
requires four inputs from the user, the number of sides, a pick point for the centre of the poly
polygon,
gon, whether you want the
polygon inscribed or circumscribed and then a pick point which determines both the radius of this imaginary circle and
the orientation of the polygon. The polygon command creates a closed polyline in the shape of the required poly
polygon.
gon.
This command also allows you to define the polygon by entering the length of a side using the Edge option. You can
also control the size of the polygon by entering an exact radius for the circle. Follow the command sequence below to
see how this command works.

Command Sequence
Toolbar Draw
Pull-down Draw Polygon
Keyboard POLYGON short-cut POL

Command Sequence
Command: POLYGON
Enter number of sides <4>: 5
Specify center of polygon or [Edge]: (pick P1 or type E to define by edge length)
Enter an option [Inscribed in circle/Circumscribed about circle] <I>: (to
accept the inscribed default or type C for circumscribed)
Specify radius of circle: (pick P2 or enter exact radius)

In the illustration above, the polygon on the left is inscribed (inside the circle with the polygon vertexes touching it), the
th
one in the middle is circumscribed (outside the circle with the polyline edges tangential to it) and the one on the right is
defined
ned by the length of an edge.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Donut Command
Toolbar custom
Pull-down Draw Donut
Keyboard DONUT short
short-cut DO
NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
T,FZR
This command draws a solid donut shape, actually it's just a closed polyline consisting of two arc segments which have been
given a width. AutoCAD asks you to define the inside diameter i.e. the diameter of the hole and then the outside diameter of
the donut.
The donut is then drawn in outline and you are asked to pick the centre point in
order to position the donut. You can continue picking centre points to draw
more donuts or you can hit to end the command. Surprisingly, donuts are
constructed from single closed polylines composed of two arc segments which
have been given a width. Fortunately AutoCAD works all this out for you, so all
you see is a donut.

Command Sequence
Command: DONUT
Specify inside diameter of donut <0.5000>: (pick any two points to define a diameter or enter the exact length)
Specify outside diameter of donut <1.0000>: (pick any two points to define a diameter or enter the exact length)
Specify center of donut or <exit>: (pick P1)
Specify center of donut or < <exit>: (to end or continue to pick for more doughnuts)
As an alternative to picking two points or entering a value for the diameters, you could just hit to accept the default value.
value
Most AutoCAD commands that require user input have defa
default
ult values. They always appear in triangular brackets like this
<default value>.
Curiously enough AutoCAD doesn't seem to mind if you make the inside diameter of a donut larger than the outside diameter.
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Revcloud Command

Toolbar Draw
Pull-down Draw RevisionCloud
Keyboard REVCLOUD
The Revcloud command is used to draw a "freehand" revision cloud or to convert any closed shape into a revision cloud.

Command Sequence
Command: REVCLOUD
Minimum arc length: 66.6377 Maximum arc length: 116.6159
Specify start point or [Arc length/Object] <Object>: (Pick P1)
Guide crosshairs along cloud path...

Move the mouse to form a closed shape; the command automatically ends when a closed shape is formed.

Revision cloud finished.

You can use the "Arc length" option to control the scale of the revision cloud. This is achieved by specifying the

minimum and maximum arc length. The "Object" option is used to transform any closed shape, such as a

polyline, spline or circle into a revision cloud.

___________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

The 3D Polyline Command

Toolbar custom
Pull-down Draw 3D olyline
Keyboard 3DPOLY
The 3D Polyline command works in exactly the same way as the Polyline command. The main difference between a normal
polyline and a 3D polyline is that each vertex (pick point) of a 3D polyline can have a different value for Z (height). In normal
no
(2D) polylines, all vertexes
xes must have the same Z value.
3D polyline objects are not as complex as their 2D cousins. For example, they cannot contain arc segments and they cannot
be given widths. However, they can be very useful for 3D modeling.
NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
LAB/ME/SBSSTC
Command Sequence
Command: 3DPOLY
Specify start point of polyline: (pick a point)
Specify endpoint of line or [Undo]: (pick another point)
Specify endpoint of line or [Undo]: (pick a third point)
Specify endpoint of line or [Close/Undo]: (to end, C to close or continue picking points)
Notice that you are not prompted for a Z value each time you pick a point. You must either use one of the Object Snaps to
pick a point with the required Z value or use the "".XY"" filter to force AutoCAD to prompt for a Z value.
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
________________________

The Circle Command

Toolbar Draw
Pull-down Draw Circle Center, radius
Keyboard CIRCLE short-cut C
The Circle command is used to draw circles. There are a number of ways you can define the circle. The default method is to
pick the centre point and then to either pick a second point on the circumference of the circle or enter the circle radius at the
keyboard.

Command Sequence
Command: CIRCLE
Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: (pick P1)
Specify radius of circle or [Diameter] <50.0195>: (pick P2 or enter the exact radius)

As you can see from the command prompt above the default options are always indicated in triangular brackets like so
<Default> and command options appear within square brackets like so [Option]. Each option is separated by a forward
slash like this /. You can choose to use the alternative options by typing them at the prompt. For example, the circle
command gives you three extra options to define a circle. 3P which uses any three points on the circumference, 2P which
uses two points on the circumference to form a diameter and Ttr which stands for Tangent Tangent Radius. Obviously to use
this last option you need to have drawn two lines which you can use as tangents to the circle. Try these options out to see
how they work. Note that to invoke a command option, you need only type the upper
upper-case
case part of the option name. For
example, if you want to use the Ttr option, you need only en
enter
ter "T". There are two more circle options on the pull-down
pull down menu
that enable you to draw a circle by defining the center and diameter or by using 3 tangents.
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Arc Command

Toolbar Draw
Pull-down Draw Arc 3 Points
Keyboard ARC short-cut
cut A
The Arc command allows you to draw an arc of a circle. There are numerous ways to define an arc, the default method
uses three pick points, a start point, a second point and an end point. Using this method, the drawn arc will start at the
first pick point, pass through the second point and end at the third point. Once you have mastered the default method
me
try some of the others. You may, for example need to draw an arc with a specific radius. All of the Arc command options
are available from the pull-down
down menu.

Command Sequence
Command: ARC
Specify start point of arc or [Center]: (pick P1)

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
LAB/ME/SBSSTC
Specify second point of arc or [Center/End]: (pick P2)
Specify end point of arc: (pick P3)
It is also possible to create an arc by trimming a circle object. In practice, many arcs are actually created this way. See the
t
Trim command on the Modifying Objects tutorial for details.
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Spline Command

Toolbar Draw
Pull-down Draw Spline
Keyboard SPLINE short--cut SPL

The Spline command creates a type of spline known as a nonuniform

rational B-spline,
spline, NURBS for short. A spline is a smooth curve that is
fitted along a number of control points. The Fit Tolerance option can
be used to control how closely the spline conforms to the control
points. A low tolerance value causes the spline to form close to the
control points. A tolerance
tolerance of 0 (zero) forces the spline to pass through
the control points. The illustration on the right shows the effect of
different tolerance values on a spline that is defined using the same
four control points, P1, P2, P3 and P4.
Splines can be edited after
after they have been created using the

SPLINEDIT command, Modify Object Spline from the pull--down

menu. Using this command, you can change the tolerance, add more
control points move control points and close splines, amongst other
things. However, if you just want to move spline control points, it is
best to use grips.
Command Sequence
Command: SPLINE
Specify first point or [Object]: (Pick P1)
Specify next point: (Pick P2)
Specify next point or [Close/Fit tolerance] <start tangent>: (Pick P3)
Specify next point or [Close/Fit tolerance] <start tangent>: (Pick P4)
Specify next point or [Close/Fit tolerance] <start tangent>:
Specify start tangent: (pick a point)
Specify end tangent: (pick a point)

You can create linear approximations to splines by smoothing polylines with the PEDIT command, Modify Polyline from the
pull-down
down menu. However, you can also turn polylines into true splines using the Object option of the Spline command.
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Ellipse Command

Toolbar Draw
Pull-down Draw Ellipse Axis, End
Keyboard ELLIPSE short
short-cut EL

The Ellipse command gives you a number of different creation options. The
default option is to pick the two end points of an axis and then a third point to
define the eccentricity of the ellipse. After you have mastered the default option,
try out the others.

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
LAB/ME/SBSSTC
Command Sequence
Command: ELLIPSE
Specify axis endpoint of ellipse or [Arc/Center]: (pick P1)
Specify other endpoint of axis: (pick P2)
Specify distance to other axis or [Rotation]: (pick P3)
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Ellipse Arc Command

Toolbar Draw
Pull-down Draw Ellipse Arc
Keyboard ELLIPSE A short-cut EL A
The Ellipse Arc command is very similar to the Ellipse command,
described above. The only difference is that, in addition to specifying
the two axis end points and the "distance to other axis" point, you
are prompted for a start and end angle for the arc. You may specify
angles by picking points or by entering values at the command
prompt. Remember that angles are measured in an anti-clockwise
anti clockwise
direction, starting at the 3 o'clock position.
In truth, the Ellipse Arc command
command is not a new or separate
command; it is just an option of the Ellipse command and it therefore
has no unique command line name. It is curious why Autodesk
considered this option important enough to give it it's own button on
the Draw toolbar. Still, there
here it is.

Command Sequence
Command: ELLIPSE
Specify axis endpoint of ellipse or [Arc/Center]: A
Specify axis endpoint of elliptical arc or [Center]: (pick P1)
Specify other endpoint of axis: (pick P2)
Specify distance to other axis or [Rotation]: (pick P3)
[Parameter]: 270
Specify start angle or [Pa
Specify end angle or [Parameter/Included angle]: 90
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Region Command

Toolbar Draw
Pull-down Draw Region
Keyboard REGION short--cut REG

A region is a surface created from objects that form a closed shape, known as a loop.

The Region command is used to transform objects into regions rather than actually

drawing them (i.e. you will need to draw the closed shape or loop first). Once a region is

created, there may be little visual difference to the drawing. However, if you set the

shade mode to "Flat Shaded", View Shade Flat Shaded,, you will see that the

region is, in fact, a surface and not simply an utline. Regions are particularly useful in

3D modeling because they can be extruded. Before starting the Region command,

draw a closed shape such as a rectangle, circle or any closed polyline or spline.

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
LAB/ME/SBSSTC
Command Sequence
Command: REGION
Select objects: (Pick P1)
Select objects:
1 loop extracted.
1 Region created.
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Wipeout Command

Toolbar custom
Pull-down Draw Wipeout
Keyboard WIPEOUT
A Wipeout is an image type object. Most commonly it is used to "mask" part of a drawing for clarity. For example, you
may want to add text to a complicated part of a drawing. A Wipeout could be used to mask an area behind some text so
that the text can easily be read, as in the example shown on the right.
The Wipeout
ut command can be used for 3 different operations. It can be used to draw a wipeout object, as you might
expect, but it can also be used to convert an existing closed polyline into a wipeout and it can be used to control the
visibility of wipeout frames.
Command Sequence
Command: WIPEOUT
Specify first point or [Frames/Polyline] <Polyline>: (Pick P1)
Specify next point: (Pick P2)
Specify next point or [Undo]: (Pick P3)
Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: (Pick P4)
Specify next point or [Close/Undo]:
You can use as many points as you wish in order to create the shape you need. When you have picked the last point,
use right-click and Enter (or hit the Enter key on the keyboard) to complete the command and create the wipeout.
You may find that it is easier
er to draw a polyline first and then convert that polyline into a wipeout. To do this, start the
Wipeout command and then Enter to select the default "Polyline" option. Select the polyline when prompted to do so.
Remember, polylines must be closed before tthey
hey can be converted to wipeouts. In most cases, you will probably want
to turn off the wipeout frame.

Command Sequence
Specify first point or [Frames/Polyline] <Polyline>: F (the Frames option)
Enter mode [ON/OFF] <ON>: OFF
Regenerating model.
The Frames option is used to turn frames off (or on) for all wipeouts in the current drawing. You cannot control the
visibility of wipeout frames individually. You should also be aware that when frames are turned off, wipeouts cannot be
selected. If you need to move or modify a wipeout, you need to have frames turned on.
It is often more convenient to draw the wipeout after the text so that you can see how much space you need. In such a

case, you may need to use the DRAWORDER command ((Tools Display Order Option) to force
rce the text to appear
above the wipeout.
Tip: If you have the Express Tools loaded, you can use the very useful TEXTMASK command, which automatically

creates a wipeout below any selected text. Find it on your pull

pull-down at Express Text Text Mask
_____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

The Point Command

Toolbar Draw
Pull-down Draw Point Single Point
Keyboard POINT short
short-cut PO

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
LAB/ME/SBSSTC
Command Sequence
Command: POINT
Current point modes: PDMODE=0 PDSIZE=0.0000
Specify a point: (pick any point)
Strangely, in Multiple Point mode (the default for the Point button on the Draw toolbar) you will need to use the escape key
(Esc) on your keyboard to end the command. The usual right
right-click
click or enter doesn't work.
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Point Style Command

Toolbar none
Pull-down Format Point Style…
Keyboard DDPTYPE
You can start the point style command from the keyboard by typing
DDPTYPE or you can start it from the pull-down
pull menu at Format
Point Style… The command starts by displaying a dialogue box
offering a number of options.
To change the point style, just pick the picture of the style you want
and then click the "OK" button. You will need to use the Regen
command, REGEN at the keyboard or View Regen from the pull- pull
down to force any existing points in your drawing to display in the new
style. Any new points created
created after the style has been set will
automatically display in the new style.
One interesting aspect of points is that their size can be set to an absolute
value or relative to the screen size, expressed as a percentage. The
default is for points to display relative to the screen size, which is very
useful because it means that points will remain the same size, irrespective
of zoom factor. This is particularly convenient when drawings become
complex and the drawing process requires a lot of zooming in and out. out

_____________________________________________________________________________

Multilines
Multilines are complex lines that consist of between 1 and 16 parallel lines, known as elements.. The default multiline
style has just two elements but you can create additional styles of an almost endless variety. The Multiline Style
command enables you to create new multiline styles by adding line elements, changing the colour and linetype of
elements, adding end caps and the option of displaying as a solid colour.

The Multiline Command

Toolbar custom
Pull-down Draw Multiline
Keyboard MLINE cut ML
short-cut
The Multiline command is used to draw multilines. This process of drawing is pretty much the same as drawing polylines,
polylines
additional line segments are added to the multiline as points are picked. As with polylines, points can be unpicked with the
Undo option and multilines can be closed.
When you start the Multiline command you also have the option to specify the Justificat
Justification,
ion, Scale and Style of the multiline.
The Justification option allows you to set the justification to "Top", the default, "Zero" or "Bottom". When justification is set to
top, the top of the multiline is drawn through the pick points, as in the illustrati
illustration
on below. Zero justification draws the centreline
of the multiline through the pick points and Bottom draws the bottom line through the pick points. Justification allows you to
t
control how the multiline is drawn relative to your setting out information. Fo
Forr example, if you are drawing a new road with
reference to its centre line, then Zero justification would be appropriate.

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
LAB/ME/SBSSTC
The Scale option allows you to set a scale factor, which effectively changes the width of the multiline. The default scale factor
fa
is set to 1.0 so to half the width of the multiline, a value of 0.5 would be entered. A value of 2.0 would double the width.
The Style option enables you to set the current multiline style. The default style is called "Standard". This is the only style
sty
available unless you have previously created a new style with the Multiline Style command
command.. Follow the command sequence
below to see how the Multiline command works and then try changing the Justification and Scale options.

Command Sequence
Command: MLINE
Current settings: Justification = Top, Scale = 20.00, Style = STANDARD
Specify start point or [Justification/Scale/STyle]: (Pick P1)
Specify next point: (Pick P2)
Specify next point or [Undo]: (Pick P3)
Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: (to end or continue picking or C to close)

The Multiline Style Command

Toolbar none
Pull-down Format Multiline Style…
Keyboard MLSTYLE
The Multiline style command is used to create new multiline
styles, which can then be used with the Multiline command.
When you start the command for the first time, you will see the
Multiline Styles dialogue box indicating that the Standard style
is "Current". To create a new style, enter a new style name in
the "Name" edit box by overwriting "STANDARD" and enter
an optional description in the "Description" edit box. The
dialogue box should now look something like the one on the
right. When you are happy with the new name and
description, simply click on the "Add" button. Your new style
will now appear in the "Current" box. The new style you have
created is simply a copy of the Standard style, so the next
step is to change the style to suit your own purposes. Click on
the "Element Properties…" button to proceed.

You will now see the Element Properties dialogue box

appear. This dialogue
dialogue box allows you to add new line
elements or delete existing ones and to control the
element offset, colour and linetype. Click the "Add" button
to add a new element. A new line element now appears
with an offset of 0.0, in other words, this is a centre
centre line.
Highlight the top element in the "Elements" list and
change the offset to 1.0 by entering this value in the
"Offset" edit box. Now do the same with the bottom
element remembering to enter a value of -1.0
1.0 because this
is a negative offset. You now have a multiline that is 2
drawing units wide with a centre line. Let's now change
the colour and linetype of the centre line.

Highlight the 0.0 offset element by clicking it in the "Elements" list. To change the colour, simply click on the
Colour… button and select an appropriate colour from the palette. When a colour has been selected, click the
"OK" button on the palette to return to the Element Properties dialogue box.
Changing the linetype is a little more complicated because we will nee
need
d to load the required linetype first.
However, click on the "Linetype…" button to proceed.
NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
LAB/ME/SBSSTC
 The Select Linetype dialogue box appears
with just a few solid linetypes listed,
ByLayer,, ByBlock and Continuous. Click on
the "Load…" button. The Load or Reload
Linetypes dialogue box now appears. Scroll
down the list of linetypes until you find one
o
called "Hidden". Highlight Hidden and then
click the "OK" button. You will now see the
Hidden linetype appear in the "Loaded
linetypes" list in the Select Linetype dialogue
box, which should now look similar to the
one shown above. Finally, highlight Hidden
Hi
and click the "OK" button. Your Element
Properties dialogue box should now look
similar to the one in the illustration above. To
complete our new style, we will add some
end caps and a solid fill. Click on the
"Multiline Properties…" button to proceed.
proceed

In the Multiline Properties dialogue box, click in the "Line" check

boxes under "Start" and "End". This will have the effect of capping
the ends of the multiline with a 90 degree line. As you can see
from the dialogue box, you can change this this angle if you wish to
give a chamfered end. Next, click the "On" check box in the "Fill"
section and then click on the Colour… button and select the fill
colour from the palette. The Multiline Properties dialogue box
should now look like the one in the illustration
illustration on the left. Finally,
click the "OK" button in the Multiline Properties dialogue box and
again in the Multiline Style dialogue box. You are now ready to
draw with your new multiline.
Start the Multiline command, pick a number of points and admire
your handiwork. If you have followed this tutorial closely, your new
multiline should look something like the one in the illustration on
the right. Notice the effect of the various changes you have made
compared with the Standard multiline style.

One limitation of multiline styles is that you cannot modify a style if

there are multilines referencing the style in the current drawing.
This is a shame because it means that it is not possible to update
multiline styles in the same way as it is is possible to update text or
dimension styles. You also cannot change the style of an existing
multiline. If you really want to modify a multiline style, you will
have to erase all multilines that reference the style first.
If you are new to AutoCAD, the whole whole process of working with
multilines and creating multiline styles may appear a little
bewildering because it touches upon a number of aspects of the
program with which you may not be familiar. If this is the case, it
may be a good idea to return to this
this tutorial in the future. Multilines
are useful because they can save lots of time but their use is fairly
specific and you should think carefully before using them. It may,
for example, be more convenient simply to draw a polyline and to
create offsets using
ing the Offset command.

____________________________________________________________________________

The Hatch & Gradient Command

Toolbar Draw Hatch patterns graphic elements that are often used to represent
materials, special regions, or textures in a drawing. So, you can use
Pull-down Draw Hatch hatch patterns fills on the drawing to bring focus or call attention to
Keyboard Bhatch certain area.

Gradient is a coloured patterns that

that are often used to represent
Toolbar Draw
materials, special regions, or textures in a drawing. So, you can use
Pull-down Draw Gradient gradient patterns fill colours on the drawing to bring focus or call
attention to certain area.
Keyboard Gradient

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
T,FZR
Figure-1 (For hatch command)

Figure-2 (for hatch command)

Command Sequence
Command: bhatch (Figur-1 appears)
Click at “Add. Pick Points” in
the given dialog box
Then click at ‘P1’ ( shown in fig.-2)
Then press ‘enter’
Now, choose pattern design and
click ‘OK’ at dialogue box
_____________________________
Command: bhatch (Figur-1 appears)
Click at “Add. Pick Points” in
the given dialog box
Then click at ‘P2’ ( shown in fig.-2)
Then press ‘enter’
Now, choose pattern design and
click ‘OK’ at dialogue box

Figure-3 (For Gradient Command)

Figure-4 (for Gradient command)

Command Sequence
Command: Gradient (Figur-3 appears)
Click at “Add. Pick Points” in
the given dialogue box
Then click at ‘P1’ ( shown in fig.-4)
Then press ‘enter’
Now, choose Color and click ‘OK’
at dialogue box
_____________________________
Command: Gradient (Figur-3 appears)
Click at “Add. Pick Points” in
the given dialogue box
Then click at ‘P2’ ( shown in fig.-4)
Then press ‘enter’
Now, choose Color and click ‘OK’
at dialogue box
_____________________________________________________________________________

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
The Text Command
Toolbar Draw

Pull-down Draw Text

Keyboard Dtext
Creating Text
Like most things in AutoCAD, there is more than one way to do it. Creating Text is no exception. Below are the common
commands for working with text.

Command Keystroke Icon Menu Result

Text Style STYLE / ST Format > Text Style Opens the Text Style Dialog

Draw > Text > Single Line

Single Line Text DTEXT / DT / TEXT Creates a single line of text
Text

Creates formatable multiline

Multiline Text MTEXT / T / MT Draw > Text > Multiline Text
text

DDEDIT / ED (or double- Edits and formats text - edits

Edit Text Modify > Object > Text > Edit
click) attributes

Checks for spelling errors in

Spell Check SPELL Tools > Spelling
Text, Attributes and Xrefs

Text along an ARCTEXT Express > Text > Arc-Aligned

Arc Aligns test along a selected
arc Text arc

Formatting Text Styles

To format text in AutoCAD, you have to create a new text style for each different font and style of text. By default in the
[Link] file, AutoCAD loads the txt font because it is simple to display on the screen. A text style is a collection of
common text properties used by one or more text objects in the drawing. You generally create several text styles. For
example, you could have a text style for dimensions, another for view labels, and another for title blocks or general
sheet annotation.

Select the New... Button and

type in a name for your new text
style.
Click on the Font Name edit box

and select "[Link]" as

your new text style. This style
will be used for all text and
dimensioning in the next
assignments. This is a common,
clean font that AutoCAD can
display quickly on the screen. No
other adjustments are needed.
Optionally you can set the width
factor to a .8 - this allows you to
fit text in narrower spaces at an
80% width. and press OK.

If you need more than one text style, click on the new button, type
in a new name Now the Text Style dialog box (as shown above)
will have the new name in the Style Name field. Select
[Link] for this new style.

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
LAB/ME/SBSSTC
 Single Line Text
The following is an overview of creating single line text.

Step
1. Start the Text command.
2. 2. To set the justification options, right-click anywhere in the drawing. Click Justify and enter a justification
option on the command line, or right-click and select the justification on the shortcut menu.
3. Specify a start point for the text.
4. Specify a height and rotation angle.
5. Begin typing the lines of text.
6. Each time you press ENTER, a new line of text and therefore a new text object is created.

Multiline Text
The following is an overview of creating multiline text.

Step
1. Start the Mtext command.
2. Click two points to define the text area.

3. Confirm the settings such as text style, font, and height on the Text Formatting tool bar.

4. Begin creating text using the options as required for numbered or bulleted lists and symbols.

5. Use the ruler to adjust the width of the text area if necessary.

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
Arc-Aligned Text
Recently AutoCAD added a selection of commands called "Express Tools". separately from the regular AutoCAD. One
of these Express Tools is Arc-Aligned
Aligned Text. Just like the name suggests, you can place text along an arc. Draw an arc
and start the command as shown above. As prompted, select the arc, and this dialog box will appear:

You can
an also erase the arc and the text will remain. This isn't a command that you will use a lot, but it is comforting to
know that it's there.

Text Editing
Toolbar Draw

Pull-down Modify Object Text Edit

Keyboard ddedit
There are three methods for editing text: using the Text formatting toolbar, the inplace text editor, and the Properties
palette. The quickest way to edit text is to double
double-click
click the text object. If you double-click
double click a multiline text object, the Text
formatting
ting toolbar appears. If you double
double-click
click a single line text object, the in-place
in place text editor opens, where you can
edit the text in the same way you created it. You can use the Properties palette to edit the properties associated with
text as well as the content
ontent of the text object. You can also use grips to edit the text's position. When you select text,
grips will appear. You can grip edit text objects using the same methods for grip
grip-editing [Link]
Creates or modifies
single or multiline text objects. Yo
You
u can import or paste text from other files to use in multiline text, set tabs, adjust
paragraph and line spacing and alignment, and create and modify columns.

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
LAB/ME/SBSSTC
The following is an overview of editing text objects using the in
in-place
place text editor.

Step
1. Double-click a text object.
2. Use the in-place
place editor for multiline or single line text to edit the text in the same way you created it.
3. Left-click
click outside the text editor window to end the editing operation.

Spell Check the Entire Drawing

You can use the Spell command to check the entire drawing for spelling errors. Click Tools menu> Spelling.. When you
are prompted to select objects, enter All and press ENTER.. The Check Spelling dialog box appears. You can use the
options in the dialog box to correct or ignore the spelling errors found.

__________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
_________
The Table Command
Toolbar Draw

Pull-down Draw Table

Keyboard table

To create an empty table

1. Click Draw menu Table....

2. In the Insert Table dialog box, select a table style from the list, or click the button to the right of the drop-down
drop down
menu to create a new table style.

3. Click Start from Empty Table

Table.

4. Insert the table in the drawing by doing one of the following:

 Specify an insertion point for the table.

 Specify a window for the table.

5. Set the number of columns and the column width.

If you used the window
ndow insertion method, you can select the number of columns or the column width, but not
both.

6. Set the number of rows and the row height.

If you used the window insertion method, the number of rows is determined by the size of the window you
specified and the row height.

7. Click OK.

__________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
_________

The Helix Command

Toolbar Draw

Pull-down Draw helix

Keyboard helix

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
LAB/ME/SBSSTC
NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
MODIFY COMMANDS
As is usual with AutoCAD, the Modify tools can be accessed in one of three ways, from the keyboard, from the pull-
pull
down menu and from the toolbar. All of the Modify tools are available from the Modify pull
pull-down
down and the Modify toolbar.
In each section below, the toolbar, pull
pull-down
down and keyboard options are given.
The Modify toolbar is usually
displayed by default but if it is not
already displayed, you can
display it using the TOOLBAR

command, View Toolbars…

from the pull-down
down menu. When
the Toolbar dialogue box (shown
above) appears, simply check the
box next to "Modify" in the
toolbars list. Many AutoCAD
users work with the Modify
toolbar permanently docked on
their screen because it gives
one-click access to all of the
commands, making the drawing
process much more efficient

_____________________________________________________________________________

The Erase Command

Toolbar Modify
Pull-down Modify Erase
Keyboard ERASE short-cut
cut E
The Erase command is one of the simplest AutoCAD commands and is one of the most used. The command erases
(deletes) any selected object(s) from the drawing. Remember you can always get deleted objects back by typing U to
undo, from the Standard toolbar or by using the OOPS command.
Command Sequence
Command: ERASE
Select objects: (pick an object to erase)
Select objects: (to end the selection and erase the object)
If you simply want to erase the last object you created you can type L at the "Select objects" prompt. The last object will
be highlighted and you can then select more objects or to end the command. See the "Object
" Selection"" tutorial for
more information
rmation on selecting objects.
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Copy Command

Toolbar Modify
Pull-down Modify Copy
Keyboard COPY cut CP
short-cut

The Copy command can be used to create one or more duplicates of any drawing object or objects which you have
previously created. Copy is a very useful and time
time-saving
saving command because you can create very complex drawing
elements and then simply copy them as many times as you like.

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
/ME/SBSCET,FZR
Command Sequence
Command: COPY
Select objects: (pick object to copy, P1)
Select objects: (to end selection)
Specify base point or displacement, or [Multiple]: (pick P2 or M for multiple copies)
Specify second point of displacement or <use first point as displacement>: (pick P3)
The multiple option allows you to create additional copies of the selected object(s) by picking as many new points as
you like. To end a multiple copy, just hit the key.
Notice that the "Base point", P2 and the "Second point", P3 do not have to be picked on or near the obje
object.
ct. The two
points are simply used to indicate the distance and direction of the copied object from the original object.
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Mirror Command

Toolbar Modify
Pull-down Modify Mirror
Keyboard MIRROR short--cut MI
The Mirror command allows you to mirror selected objects in your drawing by picking them and then defining the
position of an imaginary mirror line using two points.

Command Sequence
Command: MIRROR
Select objects: (pick object to mirror, P1)
Select objects: (to end selection)
Specify first point of mirror line: (pick P2)
Specify second point of mirror line: (pick P3)
Delete source objects? [Yes/No] <N>: (for No to keep the original object)
Notice that in the command
and sequence above, pressing the key when asked whether to "Delete source objects?" resulted
in a "No" response. This is because "No" is the default option. AutoCAD always shows the default option within triangular
brackets, in this case "<N>". Many AutoC
AutoCAD
AD commands offer default options. They are usually the most commonly used and
you need only right-click
click and select "Enter" from the menu or press on the keyboard to accept them. In order to create
perfectly horizontal or vertical mirror lines use Ortho.
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Offset Command

Toolbar Modify
Pull-down Modify Offset
Keyboard OFFSET short--cut O
Offset is probably one of the most useful commands for constructing drawings. The Offset command creates a new object
parallel to or concentric with a selected object. The new object is drawn at a user defined distance (the offset) from the
original and in a direction chosen by the user with a pick point. You can offset lines, arcs, circles, ellipses, 2D polylines, xlines,
rays and planar splines.
Command Sequence
Command: OFFSET
Specify offset distance or [Through] <1.0000>: 10 (specify distance)
Select object to offset or <exit>: (select object, P1)
Specify point on side to offset: (pick direction, P2)
Select object to offset or <exit>: (to end or select another object to offset)In the illustration below, a line
(cyan) has been offset to the right throu
through
gh a distance "Offset" by picking a point to the right of the original line. The result is a
new line (red) to the right of the original. NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
Circles can be offset inside or outside of themselves to create a new circle which is concentric (has the same centre
point) with the original circle. In the illustration, a new circle (red) has been created outside of the original by picking a
point outside
de of the original circle. The radius of the new circle is the offset distance "Offset" plus the radius of the
original [Link] the illustration above, the new objects and original objects are shown in different colours for clarity. In
I
reality, offset objects
jects inherit their object properties from the original object. See the "Object
" Properties"" tutorial for
details.
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Array Command

Toolbar Modify
Pull-down Modify Array
Keyboard ARRAY short-cut
cut AR
The Array command makes multiple copies of selected objects in a rectangular matrix (columns and rows) or a polar (circular)
pattern. This command has been completely transformed in AutoCAD 2000i. It is now completely dialogue box driven with the
option to see a preview of the array before it is created. You can also now create rectangular arrays at a user specified angle
angle. This constitutes a major improvement in usability.

The Rectangular Array

The illustration on the left shows the results of a rectangular array with two
columns an three rows. The distance between rows is indicated with the
dimension DR and between columns with DC.. When creating rectangular arrays
it is important to remember thatt new rows are created above the original object
and new columns are created to the right of the original object. The resulting
array is, therefore, always created with the original object in the bottom left hand
position with respect to the current co-ordinate
co inate system. In the illustration, the
original object is shown in cyan and the new objects in red. It is possible to create
arrays which do not align with the World Co-ordinate System by setting a User
Co-ordinate System first. See the UCS tutorial for details.

Try creating this array yourself. First, draw a

rectangle 20 drawing units wide and 10
drawing units tall. To do this, start the rectangle

command Draw Rectangle from the pull-

pull
down menu. When you are prompted to pick a
point, pick somewhere in the lower left quarter
of the drawing area. Then, when you are
prompted for a second point, enter the relative
co-ordinate @20,10.
Now start the Array [Link] of all,
make sure that the Rectangular Array radio
button is selected and that you are looking at
the Rectangular Array dialogue box and now

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
follow the steps below:
1. Click the Select objects button. The dialogue box will temporarily disappear enabling you to select the rectangle
you just drew. Press the Return button on your keyboard to complete the selection. You are now returned to
the dialogue box and the message immediately below the Select Objects button should read "1 objects
selected".
2. Enter the number of rows required in the Rows edit box. For this example, enter the value "3". Notice that the
schematic preview on the right hand side of the dialogue box updates to reflect the values you are entering.
3. Enter the number of columns required in the Columns edit box. Enter the value "2".
4. Enter the row offset in the Row Offset edit box. This is the distance DR in the illustration above. Note that tis is
not the distance between rows. In this example, our rectangle is 10 units high and we will enter a row offset of
15. The result will be a 5 unit gap between rectangles.
5. Enter the column offset in the Column Offset edit box. The same parameters apply as for the row offset. Enter a
value of 25 to give a 5 unit gap between our rectangles.

6. Click on the Preview button. Once again, the dialogue box

disappears and the specified array is temporarily drawn so that we can preview it. We are now offered 3
choices. If the array isn't quite right, click the Modify button to return to the Array dialogue box. If you are happy
with the array, click the Accept button, the array will be permanently drawn and the command is ended.
You should now have an array that looks similar to the one in the illustration above consisting of 6 rectangles
arranged in 3 rows and 2 columns. As you can se, this command is very powerful and can save lots of time if
used carefully.

The Polar Array

The polar array works in a similar way to the rectangular array. The main difference is that rather than specifying the
number and offset for rows and columns, you must specify a center point and the total number of objects in the array
(including the original object).

You can try this for yourself by drawing another rectangle as described above. This time, though, locate the rectangle in
the centre top half of the drawing area. Now, start the Array command, click the Polar Array radio button and follow the
steps below:
1. Click the Select objects button. The dialogue box will temporarily disappear enabling you to select the rectangle
you just drew. Press the Return button on your keyboard to complete the selection. You are now returned to the
dialogue box and the message immediately below the Select Objects button should read "1 objects selected".
NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
 2. Specify the center point for the array. This is the point C in the illustration below. You can do this by entering x
and y co-ordinates into the appropriate edit boxes if you know what these values should be. However, this is
rarely the case and most often you will want to click the Pick Center Point button to pick a point from the drawing
area. Pick a point somewhere below the rectangle you have just drawn.
3. Enter a value for the total number of items. For this example, enter the value "6". Notice that once again, the
schematic preview updates to reflect the values you have entered.
4. Make sure that the Rotate items as copied checkbox is checked.

5. Click on the Preview button. Once again, the dialogue box

disappears and the specified array is temporarily drawn so that we can preview it. We are now offered 3
choices. If the array isn't quite right, click the Modify button to return to the Array dialogue box. If you are happy
with the array, click the Accept button, the array will be permanently drawn and the command is ended.

The array you have just drawn should look something like the one illustrated below, left. Take some time to play
around with the other options in the Array dialogue box to see what they can do.

The illustration above shows the

results of a polar array using an
original rectangle (cyan) copied six
times about a centre point C, through
an angle of 360 degrees (full circle).
The only difference between the
array on the left and the one on the
right is that the Rotate items as
copied checkbox was not checked in
the right hand example.
________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________
____________________________________
All new objects created with the
Array command will inherit the object
The Move Command properties of the original object.

Toolbar Modify
Pull-down Modify Move
Keyboard MOVE short-cut M
The Move command works in a similar way to the Copy command except that no copy is made, the selected object(s) is
simply moved from one location to another.

Command Sequence
Command: MOVE
Select objects: (pick object to move, P1)
Select objects: (to end selection)
Specify base point or displacement: (pick P2)
Specify second point of displacement or <use first point as displacement>: (pick P3)
Note that as with the Copy command, the two pick points, P2 an
and
d P3 are used only to indicate the distance and
direction of movement.
NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
The Rotate Command
Toolbar Modify
Pull-down Modify Rotate
Keyboard ROTATE short-cut
cut RO
The Rotate command allows an object or objects to be rotated about a point selected by the user. AutoCAD prompts for
a second rotation point or an angle which can be typed at the keyboard.

Command Sequence
Command: ROTATE
Current positive angle in UCS: ANGDIR=counterclockwise ANGBASE=0
Select objects: (pick object to rotate, P1)
Select objects: (to end selection)
Specify base point: (pick base point, P2)
Specify rotation angle or [Reference]: (pick second point, P3 or enter angle)
Remember, by default, AutoCAD angles start at 3 o'clock and increase in an anti
anti-clockwise
clockwise direction. The "ANGDIR" and
"ANGBASE" variables remind you of this. If you want to rotate in a clockwise direction you can ent
enter
er a negative angle by
using a minus sign.

Note: You can change the angle direction and the base angle using the Units command, Format Units… from the pull-
pull
down menu. Click the "Clockwise" check box to change the direction and click the "Direction…" button to set the base angle.
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_

The Scale Command

Toolbar Modify
Pull-down Modify Scale
Keyboard SCALE short-cut
cut SC
The Scale command can be used to change the size of an object or group of objects. You are prompted for a pick point about
which the selection set will be scaled. Scaling can then be completed by picking a second point (not always easy because it
can sometimes
imes be difficult to precisely control the scaling) or by entering a scale factor at the keyboard. For example a scale
factor of 2 will double the size of the objects in the selection set and a factor of 0.5 will half them.

Command Sequence
Command: SCALE
Select objects: (pick objects to be scaled, P1)
Select objects: (to end selection)
Specify base point: (pick base point, P2)
Specify scale factor or [Reference]: (pick second point, P3 or enter scale factor)
NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
In the example shown above, the original tree symbol has been enlarged by dynamically scaling it using pick points to
determine the change in scale. If you want to scale an object precisely, it is much easier to enter a scale factor using
the keyboard.
Note that the position of the new sized tree symbol is determined by the location of the base point. The base point, P2
has been picked to the upper right of the centre of the tree which resulted iin
n the centre of the tree shifting to a lower left
position. If the base point had been picked in the centre of the tree symbol, the tree would have remained in the same
position. In theory the base point can be any point in the drawing area but for ease of control it is best to choose a
known point so that the results are obvious.
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Stretch Command

Toolbar Modify
Pull-down Modify Stretch
Keyboard STRETCH short
short-cut S

The Stretch command can be used to move one or more vertices of an object whilst leaving the rest of the object unchanged.
In the example below, a rectangle has been stretched by moving one vertex to create an irregular shape.

Command Sequence
Command: STRETCH
Select objects to stretch by crossing crossing-window
window or crossing-polygon...
crossing
Select objects: (pick first point of crossing window)
Specify opposite corner: (pick second point of window)
Select objects: (to end selection)
Specify base point or displacement: (pick base point)
Specify second point of displacement: (pick second point)
To select vertices to stretch, you must use a crossing window or polygon. See the ""Object Selection" tutorial
utorial for details of
these selection methods.

Stretching with Grips

Although the Stretch command can be very useful, it has largely been superseded by the use of "Grips" which allow this sort
of modification to be made much more intuitively.

To stretch an object using grips, simply select the object by clicking on it (you can do this without starting a command). The

object becomes highlighted and small square grips appear at each vertex and various snap points, depending upon the object

type. Click a grip

ip to activate it and click again to reposition it. When you have completed your modifications, use the Escape

key (Esc) at the top left of your keyboard to deselect the object and release grips.
____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_________________

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
The Lengthen Command
Toolbar Modify
Pull-down Modify Lengthen
Keyboard LENGTHEN short
short-cut LEN
The Lengthen command can often be used instead of either the Trim or Extend commands. Indeed the end result is exactly
the same. The Lengthen command can be used to either lengthen or shorten Lines, Arcs, open Polylines, elliptical Arcs and
open Splines without the use of cutting or boundary edges.

Command Sequence
Command: LENGTHEN
Select an object or [DElta/Percent/Total/DYnamic]: DY
Select an object to change or [Undo]: (select a line or arc)
Specify new end point: (pick new end point)
Select an object to change or [Undo]: (to end)
The command sequence above demonstrates the u
use
se of the Dynamic Lengthen option which is probably the most
useful for general purpose drafting. However, the other options are worth getting to know because they can save lots of
time and effort.
The Total option allows you to change the total length of a line to any value that you specify. The Percent option allows you to
change a line length using a percentage. For example, a value of 50 will result in a line one half the length of the original and
a value of 200 will result in a line twice the length o
off the original. The Delta option can be used to extend or reduce the
endpoint of a line by a given distance. The endpoint affected by the change is the one closest to the pick point when the
object selection is made.
_______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________

The Trim Command

Toolbar Modify
Pull-down Modify Trim
Keyboard TRIM short-cut TR

The Trim command can be used to trim a part of an object. In

order to trim an object you must draw a second object which
forms the "cutting edge". Cutting edges can be lines, xlines,
rays, polylines, circles, arcs or ellipses. Blocks and text
cannot be trimmed
mmed or used as cutting edges. The illustration
onillustration),
In order to trim these objects, a line has been drawn (cyan in the the right shows the the
this forms Trimcutting
command
edge. in action.
The The red
Trim command,
comma
square
unlike most other modify commands requires that two separate objectand circle have
selections been drawn
are made. usingedges
The cutting the Polygon and
are selected
Circle
first (there can be one or more) and then the In order to trim these commands
objects, a line respectively.
has been drawn (cyan in the illustration), this
forms the cutting edge. The Trim command, unlike most other modify commands requires that two separate object selections
are made. The cutting edges are selected first (there can be one or more) and then the objects to be trimmed ar
are
e selected. In
the example above, the line is selected first because it forms the cutting edge and then the square and circle are selected.
The Trim command is slightly more complicated than many other modify commands. To get a better understanding of how it
works, draw a square, circle and line as illustrated above and then follow the command sequence below. Don't forget to watch
the AutoCAD command line at each stage of the process.
Command Sequence
Command: TRIM
Current settings: Projection=UCS Edge=None
Select cutting edges ...
Select objects: (select the cutting edge, P1)
Select objects: (to end cutting edge selection)
Select object to trim or shift select to extend or [Project/Edge/Undo]:(pick the part of the
shift-select
square which you want to trim, P2)
Select object to trim or shift select to extend or [Project/Edge/Undo]: (pick the circle, P3)
shift-select
Select object to trim or shift shift-select
select to extend or [Project/Edge/Undo]: (to end)
NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
Notice that at each trimming step you are given the option to undo the previous trim. This can be very useful if you
inadvertently pick the wrong [Link] the above example, when the objects were trimmed, both pick points were made
to the right of the cutting
ting edge, resulting in the removal of that part of the objects to the right of the cutting edge.
Obviously, the portion of square and circle to the left of the cutting edge could have been removed by picking to the left
of the cutting edge. Also, you may not have noticed it, but by trimming a circle you have created an Arc object. This
makes no visible difference but the object type has changed.
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Extend Command

Toolbar Modify
Pull-down Modify Extend
Keyboard EXTEND short-cut
cut EX

This command extends a line, polyline or arc to meet another drawing object (known as the boundary edge). In the
illustration on the right, two lines (red) are extended to meet another line (cyan) which forms the boundary edge. This
command works in a similar way to the Trim command, describe
described
d above. Two selections are made, one for the
boundary edge(s) and one for the object(s) to extend.

Lines and other objects can be extended in one of two directions. In the illustration on
Draw the lines as shown in the illustration
the right,and
thefollow the command
red line sequence either
could be extended below. to the right or to the left. You can tell
Command Sequence AutoCAD in which direction to extend by picking a point to the right or left of the
Command: EXTEND midpoint respectively.
Current settings: Projection=UCS Edge=None
Select boundary edges ...
Select objects: (select the boundary edge, P1)
Select objects: (to end boundary edge selection)
Select object to extend or shift select to trim or [Project/Edge/Undo]: (pick the object which
shift-select
you want to be extended, P2)
Select object to extend or shift select to trim or [Project/Edge/Undo]: (pick another object
shift-select
which you want to be extended, P3)
Select object to extend or shift shift-select
select to trim or [Project/Edge/Undo]: (to end)
Sometimes you may get the message "Object doe doess not intersect an edge" or "No edge in that direction". If this happens it
means that you are either picking the wrong end of the object or the object you are trying to extend will not meet the boundary
bounda
edge. The solution is either to pick near the end yo
youu want to extend or to move the boundary edge so that the extended line
will intersect with it.

Using Edgemode
If the line you are trying to extend does not intersect with the boundary line, you can use the "Edge" option to toggle
Edgemode to "Extend" (the default is "No Extend"). When the Extend command is set to Extend Mode, the objects being
extended will extend to an imaginary line through the boundary edge, irrespective of whether the extended object actually
intersects with the boundary
ry edge. This is particularly useful and can save lots of time.

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
The illustration on the left shows the result of extending a line (red) to a boundary edge (cyan) with Edgemode set to "Extend".
"Exten
The same process would have resulted in an error message if Edgemode had been set to "No Extend". To get a better
understanding of how this works, draw the two lines as shown in the illustration and try to extend them using the default
settings. When you have done that, follow the command sequence below.

Command Sequence (Edgemode)

Command: EXTEND
Select boundary edges: (Projmode = UCS, Edgemode = No extend)
Select objects: (select the boundary edge, P1)
Select objects: (to end boundary edge selection)
Select object to extend or shift select to trim or [Project/Edge/Undo]: E (to use the Edge option)
shift-select
Enter an implied edge extensio extensionn mode [Extend/No extend] <No extend>: E (to set Edgemode to Extend)
Select object to extend or shift select to trim or [Project/Edge/Undo]: (pick the object to be
shift-select
extended, P2)
Select object to extend or shift shift-select
select to trim or [Project/Edge/Undo]: (to end)
Notice that the current value of Edgemode is always displayed on the command line when you start the Extend command.
The Edge option can also be used with the Trim command to enable trimming to cutting edges which do not actually intersect
the object to trim. Edgemode is a system variable
variable,, so any change to its value will affect both the Trim and Extend commands.
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Break Command

Toolbar Modify
Pull-down Modify Break
Keyboard BREAK short-cut
cut BR
The Break command enables you to break (remove part of) an object by defining two break points. In the illustration below, a
corner of a rectangle has been removed. The Break command can be used with lines, polylines
polylines,, circles, arcs ellipses, splines,
xlines and rays. When you break an object, you can either select the object using the first break point and then pick the
second break point, or you can select the object and then pick the two break points.

Command Sequence
Command: BREAK
Select objects: (select the object using the first break
_____________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
point, P1)
The Fillet Command Specify second break point or [First point]:
(pick the second break point, P2)
The section of the object is removed and the command ends.
Toolbar Modify
Pull-down Modify Fillet
Keyboard FILLET short-cut
cut F
The Fillet command is a very useful tool which allows you to draw an arc between two intersecting lines or adjacent polyline
segments. You first need to use the command to set the required radius and then a second time to select the two lines.

Command Sequence
Command: FILLET
Current settings: Mode = TRIM, Radius = 10.0000
Select first object or [Polyline/Radius/Trim]: R
Specify fillet radius <10.000>: 25
Select first object or [Polyline/Radius/Trim]: (pick P1)
Select second object : (pick P2)

The Fillet command can also be used to fillet arcs and

circles. The "Polyline" option also allows you to fillet all
vertices of a polyline with a single command. It's worth
experimenting with this command, it can save you lots of time
and enables you to construct shapes which otherwise would
be quite difficult.
NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
 For example, you can easily create the lozenge shape shown on
the right from a simple rectangle. Since AutoCAD rectangles are
just closed polylines, you can use the Polyline option of the Fillet
command to fillet all polyline vertexes simultaneously. Try this
this for
Command Sequence yourself; draw a rectangle and then follow the command
Command: FILLET
Current settings: Mode = TRIM, Radius = 10.0000 sequence below.
Select first object or [Polyline/Radius/Trim]: P
Select 2D polyline: (pick P1)
4 lines were filleted
Tip: Make sure that the radius you specify will fit the objects you select, otherwise the fillet command will not work.
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Chamfer Command

Toolbar Modify
Pull-down Modify Chamfer
Keyboard CHAMFER short
short-cut CHA

The Chamfer command enables you to create a chamfer

between any two non-parallel
non parallel lines as in the illustration below
or any two adjacent polyline segments. Usually, the Chamfer
command is used to set the chamfer distances before
drawing the chamfer. Follow the command sequence below
where the chamfer distances are changed to 20 before the
chamfer is made.
Command Sequence
Command: CHAMFER
(TRIM mode) Current chamfer Dist1 = 10.0000, Dist2 = 10.0000
Select first line or [Polyline/Distance/Angle/Trim/Method]: D (to set distances)
Specify first chamfer distance <10.0000>: 20 (enter required distance)
Specify second chamfer distance <20.0000>: (first distance value or enter a different value)
Select first line or [Polyline/Distance/Angle/Trim/Method]: (pick P1)
Select second line: (pick P2)
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Explode Command

Toolbar Modify
Pull-down Modify Explode
Keyboard EXPLODE
The Explode command is used to "explode" single objects back to their constituent parts. In other words, the command
is used to return blocks, polylines etc. (which may be composed of a number of component objects) back to their
individuall component parts. The change has no visible effect.
_____________________________________________________________________________

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
6. Dimensioning in 2D and 3D entries.
Introduction
AutoCAD provides a whole range of dimensioning tools which can be used to quickly dimension any drawing without
the need for measurement. Dimensioning in AutoCAD is automatic; lines, arrows and text are all taken care of by the
dimension commands. AutoCAD dimensions are special blocks which can easily be edited or erased as necessary.
AutoCAD provides lots of control over the way dimensions look. Using a system similar to text styles, dimension styles
allow you to design dimensions so that they look just the way you want them to. There are a number of dimension
commands, each designed to create a certain type of dimension, such as linear, angular, arc, and diameter. If you just
need to quickly find a description of the various dimension commands, click on the appropriate button on the Quick Find
Toolbar below.

DIMENSIONING TYPE APPLICATION

Use to semi-automate the placement of a string of dimensions.

QDIM

Use to create linear dimensions, either horizontal, vertical, or rotated.

DIMLINEAR

Use to create a dimension that is aligned to an object or two points.

DIMALIGNE

Use to dimension the length of an arc.

DIMARC

Use to create coordinates of a point.

DIMORDINATE

Use to dimension the radius of a circle or arc.

DIMRADIUS

Use to dimension an arc where you want to override the center point of the arc to
create a jogged radial dimension.
DIMJOGGED

Use to dimension the diameter of a circle.

DIMDIAMETER

Use to dimension the angle between two lines, two points on a circle, the angle of
an arc or three points.
DIMANGULAR

Use to create baseline dimensions. By default linear dimension created is used as

the base dimension.
DIMBASELINE

Use to create continuous dimensions. By default the dimensions are continued from
the last dimension created.
DIMCONTINUE

Use to create leaders.

QLEADER

Use to create leader line with arrowhead & multiline text.

MLEADER
NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
 DIMENSIONING TYPE APPLICATION

You can automatically adjust existing parallel linear and angular dimensions in a
drawing so they are equally spaced or aligned at the dimension line with each other.
DIMSPACE

With dimension breaks, you can keep the dimension, extension, or leader lines from
appearing as if they are a part of the design.
DIMBREAK

Once you've created a dimension, you can change the location and orientation of
the existing dimension text or replace it with new text.
DIMEDIT

Tolerance symbol indicates straightness, flatness, circularity and cylindricity ect. of

a drawing component.
TOLERANCE

Use the to annotate a circle or an arc with a cross at the center.

DIMCENTER

Inspection dimensions allow you to effectively communicate how frequently

manufactured parts should be checked to ensure that the dimension value and
DIMINSPECT tolerances of the parts are within the specified range.

Jog lines can be added to linear dimensions. Jog lines are used to represent a
dimension value that does not display the actual measurement. Typically, the actual
DIMJOGLINE measurement value of the dimension is smaller than the displayed value.

With oblique command you can create linear or aligned dimension in angular
fashion.
OBLIQUE

With dimension style overrides, you can temporarily change a dimensioning system
variable without changing the current dimension style.
DIMOVERRIDE

A dimension style is a named collection of dimension settings that controls the

appearance of dimensions, such as arrowhead style, text location, and lateral
DIMSTYLE tolerances.

Once you've created a dimension, you can change the location and orientation of
the existing dimension text or replace it with new text.
DIMEDIT
_____________________________________________________________________________

The Quick Dimension Command

Toolbar

Pull-down Dimension/Quick Dimension

Keyboard QDIM

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
The Linear Dimension Command
Toolbar

Pull-down Dimension/Linear
Keyboard DIMLINEAR

You can use this command to generate

horizontal and vertical dimensions. Creating a
linear dimension is easy. All you have to do is
start the command, specify the two points.
between which
hich you want the dimension to be
drawn and pick a point to fix the position of the
dimension line. Consider the diagram (right)
whilst working through the following examples

Command Sequence
Command: DIMLINEAR
First extension line origin or press ENTER to select: (Pick P1)
Second extension line origin: (Pick P2)
Dimension line location (Mtext /Text/Angle/Horizontal/Vertical/Rotated): (Pick a point to
(Mtext/Text/Angle/Horizontal/Vertical/Rotated):
position the dimension line, you will see the dimension rubber banding)
You may have noticed that the first prompt asks you to pick the first extension line origin or to press the ENTER key.
Pressing
ing the Enter/Return key results in the following prompt:
Select object to dimension:
AutoCAD allows you to dimension an object simply by picking it. Try this out.

____________________________________________________________________________

The Aligned Dimension Command

Toolbar

Pull-down Dimension/Aligned
Aligned
Keyboard DIMAligned
You can use this command to generate aligned dimensions. These are dimensions along inclined lines which cannot be
dimensioned with the DIMLINEAR dimension command because that command will only give a measured dimension in
either a horizontal or vertical direction. However, as you can see from the command sequence below, this command
works in exactly the same way.
Command Sequence
Command: DIMALIGNED
First extension line origin or press ENTER to select:(pick P1)
Second extension line origin: (pick P2)
Dimension line location (Mtext/Text/Angle): (pick a point)
________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______
The Arc Dimension Command
Toolbar

Pull-down Dimension/Arc
Keyboard DIMArc
You can use to generate the dimension of an arc length.
Command Sequence
Command: DIMArc
Select an arc:(Select arc A)
Select first point of an arc: (pick P1)
Select second point of an arc: (pick P3)
Then press enter ( )
NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
The Radius Dimension Command
Toolbar

Pull-down Dimension/Radius
Radius
Keyboard DIMRadius
This command is used to measure the radius of a circle. The Radius command is identical to the Diameter command
except that the dimension measurement is a radius rather than a dimension and the resulting dimension text is prefixed
with a "R" to indicate radius.
Command Sequence
Command: DIMRADIUS
Select arc or circle: (pick the circumference P1)
Dimension line location (Mtext/Text/Angle):
(move the cursor where you want to place the dimension)
________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______

The Continue Dimension Command

Toolbar

Pull-down Dimension/Continue
Keyboard DIMCONTINUE
You can use the Continue command to add a string of dimensions. In the illustration above the "36mm" dimension has
been continued from the "64mm" dimension.
Command Sequence
Command: DIMCONTINUE
Specify a second extension line origin or (Undo/<Select>): (Pick P3)
Specify a second extension line origin or (Undo/<Select>): (Pick another or to end)
There is no prompt for the first line origin, AutoCAD automatically selects the second line origin of the previous
dimension to be the first of the new dimension.
There is also no prompt for the dimension line position, AutoCAD automatically matches up with the previous
dimension.
________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTC
STC,FZR
Exercise 2: (a) Rectangular array (b) Circular array

Creating and Array

rray of objects
From ribbon, you can now choose which array you want to use. We had one button before, now we get
three. So you can decide which type you want to make.

The array command in AutoCAD is used to make multiple copies of objects. Although you can use the copy
command to duplicate objects, the array command is more flexible and precise. One advantage of using the
array command is that it allows you to copy objects in a defined angle and exact number of copies.
Therefore, you can create array in various pattern. For example, you can show multiple objects in a row,
column, or irregular
rregular pattern such as a spiral. Let’s look at a few examples below:

Common steps for creating array of drawing objects.

1. Type Array in the command line or select from the modify toolbar.
2. Select the object you would like to array.
3. Select the type off Array (Rectangular/Polar/Path)
4. Follow the steps according to type of array

Path Array
NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
LAB/ME/SBSSTC
A) RECTANGULAR ARRY

STEPS FOR CREATING ARRY

1. Click the Array tool on the Modify panel again, or type AR↵, to open the Array dialog box.
2. Click the Select Objects button to close the Array dialog box temporarily.
3. Select the entire burner, including the lines and the circle, and then press ↵to confirm
your selection.
4. In the Array dialog box, click the Rectangular Array radio button.
5. Change both the Rows and Columns text boxes to 2.
6. Change the Row Offset text box value to 1´-2 ˝(35.5for metric users) and the Column
Offset text box value to 1´- 4 ˝(40.6for metric users).

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
B) POLAR ARRY

1. Click Array on the Modify panel, or type AR↵to

to open the Array dialog box
2. Click the Select Objects button. The dialog box temporarily closes, enabling you to
select objects.
3. Type L↵to
to select the last object drawn, or click the object you want to array.
4. Press ↵to
to confirm your selection. The Array dialog reopens.
5. Click the Polar Array radio button at the top of the dialog box to tell AutoCAD you want
a circular array. The Array dialog box displays the Polar Array options
6. Click the Pick
ick Center Point button to temporarily close the Array dialog box.
7. Shift+right-click
click and select Center, and then place the cursor on the circle. When you
see the circular Osnap marker at the center of the circle, click the mouse. This sselects
elects the
circle’s exact center for the center of the polar array. After you’ve clicked, the Array dialog
box returns.

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
LAB/ME/SBSSTC
PATH ARRY
The following steps show you how to use the ARRAYPATH command to bring chairs to an elliptical dining
room table and use the table itself as the path.
1. Open a drawing containing some objects you want to array along a path (or draw some simple
geometry for your source object) and then also draw a line or an open or a closed spline or polyline for your
path.
2. Click Path Array from the Array drop-down button on the Modify panel of the Home tab.
AutoCAD prompts:
Select objects:
3. At the Select Objects prompt, select one or more objects that you want to array along a path.
You can select any and all AutoCAD object types, including block insertions and text.
Object arraying is done based on the position of the objects relative to the starting end of the path
object. If you want the arrayed objects to land on the path, they must be on the path before you
select them.
When you finish selecting objects, AutoCAD prompts:
Select path curve:
4. Select the object you want to serve as the path.
Valid object types include straight lines, open or closed polylines and splines, arcs, circles, and
ellipses, as well as helixes and 3D polylines.
You don’t have to press Enter after you select the path. AutoCAD immediately responds with a
lengthy, multi-option prompt, displays a dynamic preview, and displays the path version of the Array
Creation contextual Ribbon tab.
5. Enter the specifications for your array.
As with rectangular and polar arrays, you can specify the number of items, the distance between
them, and/or the length of a portion of the path to fill. A bit of experimentation will show that these
options are often interrelated; changing one forces another one to change. You can also specify
whether the arrayed objects stay horizontal or rotate to stay parallel to the path.
Again, just like the other array types, you can jump back and forth between grip-editing, Ribbon
entries, the command line options, and Dynamic Input tooltip.
6. Finish building your array.
If you don’t have a grip selected, the default mode is eXit. Simply press Enter or the spacebar, or click
the Close Array button on the Ribbon, and you’re done!

Put the path object on a separate layer. After you complete the array, freeze that layer, and the path object
becomes invisible.

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTCT,FZR
Exercise 3: Sketch of Metal grate

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTC,FZR
Exercise 4: Slotted Base

Exercise 5: Link

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTC,FZR
Exercise 6: Base Plate (Extruding the sketch)

Exercise 7: Bush (Revolve)

Prob. A

Prob-B

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTC,FZR
Exercise 8: Handle (Revolve)

Exercise 9: Flange coupling parts

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSSTC,FZR
Exercise 10: Bell Crank Lever

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
/ME/SBSCET,FZR
Lab Work-II: Using the geometric shape and size data learnt in Lab Work I, extrude
or revolve the sketch to obtain 3
3-D
D drawing. Study and practice various options
available for 3-D
D drawing.
Exercise-1: Bracket Lever

Exercise 2: Hand Wheel

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
/ME/SBSCET,FZR
Exercise 3: Hexagonal Nut and Bolt

Assembly of Nut and Bolt

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
Exercise 4: Keys

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
Exercise 5: Body of Solid Journal Bearing

Exercise 6: Shaft

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
Exercise 7: Cup of Screw Jack

Exercise 8: Screw Jack Body

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
Exercise 9: V-Block

Exercise 10: Gland

NS/CAD LAB/ME/SBSCET,FZR
/ME/SBSCET,FZR