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

Configuring multiple viewports

When working in 3D, it is a good practice to use multiple viewports. In AutoCAD, you can divide the drawing area into multiple viewports with different configurations.

An easy and quick way to switch to the multi-viewport is to click on the Single viewport button located in the View panel, which can be found on the Home tab in the 3D Modeling workspace, as shown in the following screenshot. The button will expand to a small list with two entries, the second of which is Multiple viewports:

Figure 10.22: Location of the Multiple viewports button in the 3D Modeling workspace

When clicking on the Multiple viewports button, the drawing area will automatically be divided into four equal viewports. Each viewport can have a different view angle and visual style. In addition, the boundaries can be clicked and dragged to resize the viewports, as shown in the following figure:

Figure 10.23: Resizing the viewports...