Book Image

Practical Autodesk AutoCAD 2023 and AutoCAD LT 2023 - Second Edition

By : Jaiprakash Pandey, Yasser Shoukry
Book Image

Practical Autodesk AutoCAD 2023 and AutoCAD LT 2023 - Second Edition

By: Jaiprakash Pandey, Yasser Shoukry

Overview of this book

AutoCAD is 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 2nd edition guide will take you through everything you need to know to make the most out of this powerful tool, from a simple tour of the user interface 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 plots like a professional. As you progress, the book will show you how to convert your 2D drawings into 3D models and shapes. You’ll also discover advanced features, such as isometric drawings, drawing utilities for managing and recovering complex files, quantity surveying, and multidisciplinary drawing files using xRefs. Finally, you’ll focus on rendering and visualizing your designs in AutoCAD. By the end of this 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 creations.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
1
Part 1: Introduction and 2D Drafting
6
Part 2: Customization, Collaboration, and Using Reusable Content
12
Part 3: 3D Modeling

Introduction to 3D Modeling

This is an introductory chapter to 3D modeling in AutoCAD. However, before we start creating 3D models, we need to set up AutoCAD properly for 3D modeling. AutoCAD has already done that for us by including the workspaces that are designed for working in 3D. We will learn about the concept of workspaces and will explore the 3D modeling workspaces offered by AutoCAD.

Another mandatory skill that we will cover is how to navigate the model efficiently and how to quickly switch between view angles. In addition to that, we need to learn how to configure the objects’ visual styles, as the style and the number of details used to display objects will directly impact both the model’s visibility and PC performance.

Finally, we will learn how to use multi-viewport configurations, and how to work with the coordinate systems in AutoCAD.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

  • 3D modeling workspaces
  • Navigation and switching...