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

Working with data links

Data links are connected pieces of data in AutoCAD. As an example, if you insert a table in AutoCAD from an Excel file as a data link and then modify the Excel file, the table inside AutoCAD will update automatically.

In this section, we will learn how to import tables and Word files in our drawings using data links. In the following example, we will learn how to import a table using a data link:

  1. Open a table in Excel. I am opening the Excel table that we used in the previous examples.
  2. Now, select all the cells that contain text and press Ctrl + C to copy all the content on the clipboard. The selected cells will now have a “marching ants” kind of frame around them, as shown in Figure 7.33:

Figure 7.33: “Marching ants” selection box in the Excel table

  1. Now, open a blank drawing in AutoCAD and expand the paste icon from the Clipboard panel and select Paste Special from the drop-down menu...