Book Image

Practical Autodesk AutoCAD 2021 and AutoCAD LT 2021

By : Yasser Shoukry, Jaiprakash Pandey
Book Image

Practical Autodesk AutoCAD 2021 and AutoCAD LT 2021

By: Yasser Shoukry, Jaiprakash Pandey

Overview of this book

AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT are one of the most versatile software applications for architectural and engineering designs and the most popular computer-aided design (CAD) platform for 2D drafting and 3D modeling. This hands-on guide will take you through everything you need to know to make the most out of this powerful tool, starting from a simple tour of the user interface through to using advanced tools. Starting with basic drawing shapes and functions, you'll get to grips with the fundamentals of CAD designs. You’ll then learn about effective drawing management using layers, dynamic blocks, and groups and discover how to add annotations and plot like professionals. The book delves into 3D modeling and helps you convert your 2D drawings into 3D models and shapes. As you progress, you’ll cover advanced tools and features such as isometric drawings, drawing utilities for managing and recovering complex files, quantity surveying, and multidisciplinary drawing files using xRefs, and you'll learn how to implement them with the help of practical exercises at the end of each chapter. Finally, you’ll get to grips with rendering and visualizing your designs in AutoCAD. By the end of the book, you’ll have developed a solid understanding of CAD principles and be able to work with AutoCAD software confidently to build impressive 2D and 3D drawings.
Table of Contents (17 chapters)

Summary

In this chapter, we learned how to properly set up AutoCAD to start doing 3D modeling. Starting with setting up our working environment to better serve the 3D modeling process, we learned about the concept of workspaces and explored the dedicated 3D workspaces in AutoCAD 2021. We also looked at how to divide the drawing area into multiple viewports to view the model from different angles simultaneously.

The next step was learning how navigate and change the view effectively and quickly. We learned about the different alternative navigation tools available in AutoCAD, how to switch between the standard views, and how to create our own set of views that better suits our project.

Another important aspect is the style by which the objects are displayed. 3D objects can be displayed in many different styles, ranging from something as simple as wire frames up to a realistic models...