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

Basic status bar modes

The status bar modes help you make precise drawings in AutoCAD. The tools in the status bar can be toggled on and off by clicking on their icons or by using their function keys. Not all status bar icons are visible by default and you can toggle the visibility of the icons as per your requirements, as illustrated in the following screenshot:

Figure 2.12: Status bar toggles

To change the visibility of icons in the status bar, click on the customization icon, shown as three dashes on the far-right side of the status bar, and click on the name of the icon that you want to show on the status bar. When visible, a checkmark will show next to the icon’s name. In the following screenshot, you can see Dynamic Input and other status bar toggles checked in the customization menu:

Figure 2.13: The customization menu and checked toggles

In this section, we will discuss some of the most basic status bar toggles that we...