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.

Preface

Who this book is for

What this book covers

To get the most out of this book

An Introduction to AutoCAD

An Introduction to AutoCAD

AutoCAD LT and AutoCAD for Macintosh

Understanding the user interface

Navigating in AutoCAD

Setting units and limits

Free Chapter

Basic Drawing Tools

Basic Drawing Tools

Understanding the coordinate system

Using the Line command

The status bar modes

Making a circle

Making a rectangle

Making a polygon

The Move and Copy commands

The Rotate command

The Fillet command

The Trim command

The Extend command

Learning about Modify Commands

Learning about Modify Commands

Using Object Snaps

The Object Snap override

Object Snap tracking

Making an ellipse

The Construction Line command

The revision cloud tool

Working with regions

Point and point style

Working with Spline

More Modify commands

Working with Arrays and Reusable Objects

Working with Arrays and Reusable Objects

Using advanced status bar modes

Working with blocks

Working with groups

Working with attributes

Managing Drawings with Layers and Properties

Managing Drawings with Layers and Properties

Managing object properties

Using Match Properties

Using enquiry commands

Drawing management using layers

Using the quick access tools in the Layers panel

Working with Hatches, Text, and Dimensions

Working with Hatches, Text, and Dimensions

Filling an area with Hatches

Creating color gradients

Adding text to the drawing

Working with dimensions

Tables, Isometric, and Parametric Drawings

Tables, Isometric, and Parametric Drawings

Working with AutoCAD tables

Working with data links

Understanding fields

Making isometric drawings

Working with parametric drawings

Customization Tools

Customization Tools

Making custom linetypes

Making custom Hatches patterns

Customizing the user interface

Using Design Center

Using tool palettes

Working with complex polylines and splines

External References and Dynamic Blocks

External References and Dynamic Blocks

Working with External Referencess

Working with dynamic blocks

Cleaning and fixing drawing issues

Introduction to 3D Modeling

Introduction to 3D Modeling

Technical requirements

3D modeling workspaces

Navigation and switching views

Adjusting visual styles

Configuring multiple viewports

User Coordinate System (UCS)

Creating Primitive 3D Shapes

Creating Primitive 3D Shapes

Creating primitive 3D shapes

Conversion between 2D and 3D

Conversion between 2D and 3D

Using the Extrude command

Using the Revolve command

Using the Sweep command

Using the Loft command

Using the Presspull command

Using the Flatshot command

Using the Section Plane tool

Modifying 3D Objects

Modifying 3D Objects

Exploring basic modify commands

Using Boolean operations

Solid editing commands

Face editing commands

Edge editing commands

Surfaces and Mesh Modeling

Surfaces and Mesh Modeling

Surface modeling

Paper Space Layouts and Printing

Paper Space Layouts and Printing

Understanding the paper space

Creating viewports and title blocks

Understanding the printing process

Rendering and Presentation

Rendering and Presentation

Setting the lighting of the scene

Displaying shadows

Applying and viewing materials

Rendering scenes

Importing and exporting 3D files

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Displaying shadows

The presence and the style of shadows in the 3D model can be controlled using a command called VSSHADOWS. When activating this command (by typing the command name and then pressing Enter), you will be prompted to choose between three different values for the VSSHADOWS system variable that correspond to three different settings for the shadows in the model, and these values are as follows:

Setting the value to 0 means there will be no shadows in the model.
Setting the value to 1 will create shadows on the model ground plane. The ground plane location is usually the XY plane at elevation Z = 0. This can be changed using a system variable called SHADOWPLANELOCATION.
Setting the value to 2 corresponds to full shadows cast on all the objects in the model.

The three options have tool buttons to allow us to quickly switch between them. The buttons can be found in...