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

Making a polygon

Polygons are closed geometries made with three or more sides. The smallest polygon is a triangle and the largest polygon is a circle that is made up of an infinite number of sides.

In AutoCAD, you can make a polygon with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 1,024 sides. The Polygon tool is in the Draw panel of the Home tab in the expanded rectangle flyout, as in the following screenshot:

Figure 2.45: The Polygon tool in the Draw panel

Before we start making a polygon, we need to learn about the two types of polygon options—namely, inscribed and circumscribed—in AutoCAD.

Inscribed and circumscribed polygons

When you use the polygon command, you are presented with the inscribed and circumscribed options, so before we dig deeper into the polygon tool, let’s understand what inscribed and circumscribed geometries are.

In the following diagram, the first polygon is inscribed in a circle with a radius equal to the length...