All Lesson Autocad

CAD LEVEL 1- Getting Started with AutoCAD
LESSON 1-1	X-Y CO-ORDINATE SYSTEM, INPUTTING POINTS, THE AUTOCAD SCREEN, BASIC AUTOCAD TERMINOLOGY
LESSON 1-2	ASSIGNMENT 1 INTRO TO DRAWING / MODIFYING COMMANDS
LESSON 1-3	ASSIGNMENT 2 MORE MODIFYING COMMANDS / OBJECT SNAPS (TRIM EXTENT OFFSET)
LESSON 1-4	ASSIGNMENT 3 ACCURATE INPUT
LESSON 1-5	SELECTION SETS
LESSON 1-6	ASSIGNMENT 4 MODIFYING COMMANDS (MOVE COPY STRETCH MIRROR)
LESSON 1-7	ASSIGNMENT 5 MODIFYING COMMANDS (ROTATE FILLET CHAMFER ARRAY)
LESSON 1-8	ASSIGNMENT 6 (LAYERS DIMENSIONS TEXT SCALE)
LESSON 1-9	DIRECT DISTANCE ENTRY AND OBJECT TRACKING
LESSON 1-10	CHANGING THE PROPERTIES OF OBJECTS
LESSON 1-11	ZOOMING AND PANNING AROUND A DRAWING
LESSON 1-12	ORTHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION (NEW)
LESSON 1-13	SECTION VIEWS (NEW)
QUIZ FOR LEVEL 1
CAD LEVEL 2 - Intermediate AutoCAD
LESSON 2-1	PLANNING A PROJECT - OFFICE FLOOR PLAN
LESSON 2-2	INTRODUCTION TO BLOCKS - CREATING AND INSERTING
LESSON 2-3	ALIGN AND ROTATE
LESSON 2-4	ATTRIBUTES - NON-GRAPHICAL INFORMATION
LESSON 2-4a	CREATING A TITLE BLOCK WITH ATTRIBUTES
LESSON 2-5	HATCHING - FILLING AREAS
LESSON 2-6	WORKING WITH TEXT
LESSON 2-7	POLYLINES
LESSON 2-8	LAYOUT TABS
LESSON 2-9	PARAMETRIC CONSTRAINTS
LESSON 2-10	ELEVATION DRAWINGS (NEW)
QUIZ FOR LEVEL 2

CAD LEVEL 3 - Introduction to 3-D
LESSON 3-1	INTRODUCTION TO 3-D
LESSON 3-2	ISOMETRIC DRAWING
LESSON 3-3	WORKING IN 3 DIMENSIONS
LESSON 3-4	VIEWING 3-D OBJECTS
LESSON 3-5	BASIC WIREFRAME MODELS
LESSON 3-6	LINE THICKNESS
LESSON 3-7	REGIONS AND 3-D FACES
LESSON 3-7a	MORE ABOUT EXTRUDING & LOFTING
LESSON 3-8	REVOLVED OBJECTS
LESSON 3-9	ADDING MATERIALS
LESSON 3-10	PRIMITIVE SOLIDS
LESSON 3-11	BOOLEAN OPERATIONS
LESSON 3-12	CHANGING FROM THE WCS TO THE UCS
LESSON 3-13	MAPPING MATERIALS
LESSON 3-14	CREATING NEW MATERIALS
LESSON 3-15	EXTRA PROJECTS AND A TUTORIAL
LESSON 3-16	PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER - MODEL A BUILDING
LESSON 3-17	INTRODUCTION TO RENDERING AND LIGHTING
QUIZ FOR LEVEL 3
CAD LEVEL 4 - Advanced Topics
LESSON 4-1	AUTOCAD TEMPLATE FILES
LESSON 4-2	USING OSNAPS IN AUTOCAD
LESSON 4-3	LINETYPES AND LINETYPE SCALE
LESSON 4-4	AUTOCAD FILE FORMATS
LESSON 4-5	GRIP EDITING
LESSON 4-6	AUTOCAD'S INQUIRY TOOLS
LESSON 4-7	XREF'S (EXTERNAL REFERENCES)
LESSON 4-8	SYSTEM VARIABLES
LESSON 4-9	TABLES
LESSON 4-10	INTRODUCTION TO SET SHEETS
LESSON 4-11	MODIFYING AND CREATING DIMENSIONS
LESSON 4-11a	DIFFERENT TYPES OF DIMENSIONS
LESSON 4-12	INTRODUCTION TO CUSTOMIZING AUTOCAD

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LESSON 1-13 SECTION VIEWS

Topics covered in this Lesson:

Section View Drawing Techniques

Putting your skills to use with Section Views. In drafting there are a lot times where you want to give a lot of information, but not all of the views are helping to get your message across. Sometimes you just need to slice the object(s) down the middle and show what the guts look like. Using this method, you get a cross section of the part, or a "Section View". Take a look at the drawing above. You'll see a complex assembly drawing and two different section views. On the far left, you see the line that indicates where Section B-B is. On the right side, you see the section view. Does it make sense to you? What you are seeing is the cross section view of the metal beam part of the of the bracket. It's shown so that you can see what size the area is without having to look at the entire side view of the assembly. Section views are used for clarity. Look for the indicators for Section A-A. Then look at the top right view. You'll see that the beam part is shown as well as the hole that is drilled through it. Section views are used in Mechanical and Architechural drafting. Anytime you need to show some detail that isn't readily seen from an exterior view, "cut it up" and draw it. Required knowledge before beginning If you haven't already read through Tutorial 1-12 (Orthographic Projection), you should to get familiar with some of the concepts for this tutorial. You should also jump ahead and read Tutorial 2-5 as it deals with Hatching, which is needed for Section views. Looking at Section Views If you understand Orthographic Projection and Hatching (you read the other two tutorials, right?) then you should be able to handle section views easily. Have a look at the image below and see if it all makes sense. What you see is a very simple block with a hole drilled. This shows that the section view and the front view are almost the same. In fact, I just copied the Front view down to begin the section view. I changed some linetypes and then hatched it. If you have more than one part in your view, you will need to make sure that it stands out. Here I have the same part as above, but with another piece placed inside it. Here's an example of how a section view can be used in Architechural drafting. By using standard hatch patterns, someone else can look at the drawing and see that this shows a concrete foundation with earth on one side. I think by now you're getting the idea of how section views and hatching help to tell the story of what you are drawing. Drawing Section views in AutoCAD For this exercise, we'll start with a simple drawing. Begin by drawing the part below, and as you're drawing, think about what the section view will look like. You do not need to draw the Isometric view, it is just for reference. To draw the "Cutting Plane" that marks the section, draw a line and then use the leader command to make the arrows. Add text for the "A"s. Ok - what is your section view going to look like? The Cutting Plane points up from the front view, It doesn't mean that it's pointing at the top view, but in this case it works. Also note the the Cutting Plane is in the middle. So if you chose the Top View, you're correct. Copy the Top View. Straight up will work fine. You can keep the dimensions. It's a good idea to make sure that it is directly above the other view in case you have to stretch part of it. Then you can do both views at once. What lines need to be changed? Do you still need hidden lines? This is what your Section view should look like before hatching: Is it still making sense? You needed to trim the line where the shaft on the right joins the part, because in the section view, this is solid. You needed to change the lines for the two holes from hidden to solid because they are not hidden any more. You should now be ready to add a Hatch patten to the view. The Hatch command might be a little different depending upon the version that you are using. This example shows AutoCAD 2012. Start the Hatch command and pick in the spots shown below. You want all three areas picked at the same time so that the hatch creates one object instead of three. This is needed so that you can edit the hatch and all the areas will look the same. The areas picked will fill up with the last used hatch pattern and settings that were used. That's fine, we'll edit them now. This is a big toobar / ribbon for this command. There are really only three items you need to be aware of to make it work: Pattern: The pattern should indicate what material is used in the area that is hatched. Angle: Most of the time this will be 0 degrees, but sometimes you want to change it. Scale: This is the one that gets changed a lot. If your hatch pattern 'looks solid' - then you usually have to increase the scale because the lines are too close together. If the hatch pattern 'looks empty' - then you might have to scale it down because the lines are too far apart. The scale will vary depending upon what size your drawing is. If everything went well, the Section view you have should look like this: It's up to you if you want to put your hatch on a separate layer. It can help a lot as you get into more complex drawings. As you learn about printing through Layout Tabs, think about how having your Hatch can be useful on it's own layer - and maybe more than one layer. Other uses for Section Views Here is a section view that is used to show a break in a solid bar and a pipe. This is a common way of showing long pipes that don't fit in your drawing, just add a break, but dimention the full length. Here's an exercise for you: reproduce the image of a foundation below: More exercises from Textbook of Machine Drawing. Draw these parts out in Orthographic View and then draw the Section view. Conclusion Section views are not usually very difficult to draw, because you should have a lot of the information first. You will draw your sections last and try to base them off of existing drawings first. If you have the opportunity, look at drawing sets and see where they are used. If you are drawing something try out a section view, it's good practice for Hatching and also for developing your "CAD" eye. Here's a video that shows helps explain the Section view drawing technique. Review of Level 1: Everything in this Level will be used in your day to day CAD work. These are the basics that you will draw upon as you advance your skills. You have learned the how the coordinate system works and how to enter points so that AutoCAD knows where you want your objects to be. You were shown the most common drawing and modifying commands. You learned techniques for snapping to objects, other ways to input information and how to move around a drawing. For a new user, I cannot stress enough how mastering this level will make you a good drafter. It all comes down to accurate and fast input.

Source From:www.mycadsite.com

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LESSON 1-12 ORTHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

Topics covered in this Lesson:

Orthographic Drawing Techniques in AutoCAD

Putting your skills to use. So far in this level you have been learning the basic 2D AutoCAD commands. What you learned in this level will be a very large part of what you use in your daily drafting. This tutorial isn't going to teach commands, but will instead show a common technique that is used a lot in 'Mechanical" drafting. It will also ask you to think about what you are drawing, and how it needs to be represented. Mechanical drafting is a field within the drafting world. In simple terms, it is used to describe the methods for drafting and designing machines, assemblies and in a nut shell, the 'parts' that used in everything from a fork to a Formula 1 race car. It doesn't include anything that involves buildings and structures (Architectural & Structural drafting) or landscapes and roads (Civil drafting and engineering). Now just because you are dreaming of becoming an Architect, it doesn't mean that you should skip this tutorial. In fact, you will likely need to use these concepts or read diagrams related to this subject. So read on! What is Orthographic Projection? If you look at the image below, you will see a drawing for a part. It shows the object with a top view, a front view and a side view. You'll also see an Isometric view that is sometimes used to give a more visual look. This tutorial won't cover Isometric drafting as it is shown in Tutorial 3-2. Save your drawings that you do in this exercise for more practice in that lesson. The reason that this method is used is that you can take a designed part, draw it, dimension it and then give all the needed information to the manufacturer. In some cases only 2 views are needed, but for anything more than a simple part, 3 or more views are needed. Very complex parts will need 6 or more. There are 2 methods of deciding what views are used and where they are placed in the drawing. I'll borrow some info from Wikipedia to show this: First-angle projection (European Standards) In first-angle projection, the object is conceptually located in quadrant I, i.e. it floats above and before the viewing planes, the planes are opaque, and each view is pushed through the object onto the plane furthest from it. (Mnemonic: an "actor on a stage".) Extending to the 6-sided box, each view of the object is projected in the direction (sense) of sight of the object, onto the (opaque) interior walls of the box; that is, each view of the object is drawn on the opposite side of the box. A two-dimensional representation of the object is then created by "unfolding" the box, to view all of the interior walls. This produces two plans and four elevations. A simpler way to visualize this is to place the object on top of an upside-down bowl. Sliding the object down the right edge of the bowl reveals the right side view. Image of object in box, with views of object projected in the direction of sight onto walls using first-angle projection. Similar image showing the box unfolding from around the object. Image showing orthographic views located relative to each other in accordance with first-angle projection. Third-angle projection (USA Standards) In third-angle projection, the object is conceptually located in quadrant III, i.e. it lurks below and behind the viewing planes, the planes are transparent, and each view is pulled onto the plane closest to it. (Mnemonic: a "shark in a tank", esp. that is sunken into the floor.) Using the 6-sided viewing box, each view of the object is projected opposite to the direction (sense) of sight, onto the (transparent) exterior walls of the box; that is, each view of the object is drawn on the same side of the box. The box is then unfolded to view all of its exterior walls. A simpler way to visualize this is to place the object in the bottom of a bowl. Sliding the object up the right edge of the bowl reveals the right side view. Here is the construction of third angle projections of the same object as above. Note that the individual views are the same, just arranged differently. Image of object in box, with views of object projected in the direction of sight onto walls using first-angle projection. Similar image showing the box unfolding from around the object. Image showing orthographic views located relative to each other in accordance with third-angle projection.   Ok - that was some fun theory - thank for reading it. One last bit of info before we get back to CAD stuff. Since there are 2 kinds of standards, how do you know which is which when you have a drawing in front of you? There is a standard symbol that is used in the title block to indicate which method was used. This symbol shows a simple cone and displays the projection. Think about which symbol represents which method, then move your mouse over the images to see if you were correct. Because I am in North America and was trained to use the "Third Angle Projection" method, that is what I will show in this tutorial. The techniques for drawing are the same, it's just a matter of which direction you 'project' or draw the lines. Here's a short video for you that explains these concept visually. Drawing 3 View Orthographic Projection For these exercises, we'll start by looking at an Isometric drawing of an object and then draw the Front, Side and Top views using the dimensions we're given. In the workplace, you might find that you are given a part to measure and then draw, or you might be designing the part yourself. Here's the part that we'll draw in this tutorial: This is a very simple example to get you used to the concepts. You'll have more practice exercises at the bottom. Ok, the first question that you'll ask yourself, is "Where do I start?". I recommend that you start where you have the most information. This will sometimes be the front or the top - it depends upon each drawing. In this case, I will start with the front and draw it. You don't need to worry about dimensioning it at this point - wait until you have all of your views drawn. Ok, this should have been easy enough, so now you can start drawing the top view. To draw the top, you need to 'project' the lines up. Draw lines up from the main points in your front view. Make sure you have your Osnaps on (include "Quadrant"). Now that you have the vertical lines, draw the horizontal lines. Make sure you leave enough room to draw the width (via OFFSET) and space between the views. Now you almost have 2 views drawn. Trim the lines so that you are left with just the lines you need. Stop and check to make sure that you didn't forget any lines. It's very easy to miss some. Now it's time to jump ahead a little and take a side trip. Read Tutorials 4-3 to learn about Linetypes, because you will need them here. After reading the tutorial, return to your drawing and load the Hidden and Center linetypes. These are needed to add more information in your drawing. If all went well, you should be able to load the linetypes and scale them (LTS with a value of 10 or 12) to fit with your drawing. What you see above is the completed Top and Front views. Do you understand why there are "Hidden" lines? They are there to indicate that the hole (circle) is drilled right through the block. Where would the lines be in the hole was only drilled half way through? The center lines are used to show the the hole and the arc have the same center point. These are both common and standard CAD methods and you need to understand them. One more view to draw. This will be the side/right view. Can you picture it yet? To get started on the side view, you have to establish where it will be placed in the drawing. In this example and using the 3rd Angle projection, it will be shown to the right of the front view. For exact placement, you need to draw more projection lines. What you see in the image above is that I established the top right corner of my front view by projecting 2 lines. Then I drew a 45 degree line up from the corner. Now I can start projecting lines from my top view to create the side view. The line that is indicated by the 'Project Down' leader will be the left side of my Right Side View. I would project another from the other side of the top view and that would establish the width of the right side. Also note that by using this technique the top and side views are the same distance from the front view. From there I just need to project to the right from my front view. Almost there. Now you just need to trim up some lines and change the linetype for the hidden lines. Final goal is to draw this: Once you have all of your lines, your center lines and your hidden lines, you are ready to dimension and add any notes that are needed. Think about what commands you used in this tutorial. You used LINE, CIRCLE, OFFSET & TRIM. You also use Layers and then learned about Linetypes. What this shows is that you don't need to use a lot of commands, but it's your knowledge of how those commands works that makes your reputation as a CAD user. Extra Practice: Draw the missing Right Side View and the other views (except Isometric) for this drawing. Extra Practice: Here is a scan from an old (1919) drafting book that I found on Google Books. This image has 4 separate exercise to keep you busy. Draw what you are given, and then draw the missing view. Extra Practice: Draw the 3 views needed for each of these blocks. Extra 1 - Extra 2 Just one more thing I should mention. This method of drafting can be used in other ways as well. To the right is a simple piece of duct work drawn in AutoCAD. It's a straight piece that has been cut at an angle so that it can be connected to another piece to form a bend. Drawing in 3D isn't very hard when you know how. But if I sent this to the manufacturer, he wouldn't really know where to start. So I would have to send him a drawing of the tube rolled out. This would give him a template to cut the shape and manufacture the part. Think about what this shape would look like if it was flat. How would you draw it? How would get the curve correct? Do you think that this sounds like a job for Orthographic Projection? Yes it does. The drawing below shows how this could be drawn to show all aspects of this part. I have the diameter of the pipe and the length to the top and the length to the bottom. Since I have the diameter, I also have the circumference. The circumference tells me the length of material that will be needed to make the piece. The part is drawn in Magenta, and the projection lines are in Blue. What I needed to do was use the DIVIDE command to divide both the circle and the line that represents the circumference. Then it was a matter of projecting down and to the right from the circle, and up from the circumference line. This gave me a grid to use for the SPLINE to create the curve. The Auxiliary view was drawn with a few projection lines and an ELLIPSE. Try this if you like and follow the command line for the commands you don't know. This might be tough, but take your time. Here's a video that shows how to construct a basic Orthographic Projection drawing. Source From:www.mycadsite.com

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LESSON 1-11 ZOOMING AND PANNING AROUND A DRAWING

Topics covered in this Lesson:

Zoom | Pan

So far the tutorials have dealt with drawing and modifying objects. This lesson will be a primer on how to move around in your drawing. With simple drawings like the assignments in Level 1, you didn't have much need for moving around or zooming in your drawing. The more complex your drawing is, the more you will need to master the power of zooming and panning. Mastering these techniques will enable you to be more productive in your drawings and life will be better. EFFECTIVE ZOOMING CAN DRAMATICALLY INCREASE YOUR SPEED One single command will give you the versatility to move around your drawing. This is the ZOOM command. Another useful command is PAN. These are both quicker than using the scroll bars on the side of the drawing area, unless you have a very short distance to move your drawing (and can make your scroll bars obsolete and thereby create more drawing space).. Start the Zoom command by typing Z <ENTER>. When you do this, you will see the following options on the command line: Command: Z <ENTER> ZOOM Specify corner of window, enter a scale factor (nX or nXP), or [All/Center/Dynamic/Extents/Previous/Scale/Window/Object] <real time>: Remember that to invoke any option, just type the capital letter of your choice. (e.g.: type: E <ENTER> for "zoom extents". The default is "Realtime" which you invoke by pressing <ENTER>. One by one, here are the options available to you. These icons are available on the View ribbon under the Navigate Tool Panel COMMAND OPTION ICON DESCRIPTION Zoom Extents This option will display all the graphics that are contained in the drawing (referred to as the drawing extents) with the largest image possible. Zoom Window This option (also a 'hidden' default) prompts the user to pick two corners of a box on the existing view in order to enlarge that area to fill the display. Zoom Previous This option restores the displayed view prior to the current one. For the purpose of this option, up to 10 views are saved so that the last ten views can be recalled. This option includes every time you use the scroll bar, which is one reason to avoid the scroll bars for panning a lot in your drawing. Zoom Realtime Zoom Realtime provides interactive zooming capability. Pressing <ENTER> (after entering zoom) on the command line automatically places you in Realtime mode. Hold the left mouse button down at the midpoint of the drawing and move the cursor vertically to the top (positive direction) of the window to zoom in up to 100% (2x magnification). Hold the left mouse button down at the midpoint of the drawing and move the cursor vertically to the bottom (negative direction) of the window to zoom out to100% (.5x magnification). You cannot zoom out beyond the extents of the current view. When you release the pick button, zooming stops. You can release the pick button, move the cursor to another location in the drawing, and then press the pick button again and continue zooming from that location. To exit Realtime Zoom mode, press <ENTER> or (ESC). Zoom All This option causes AutoCAD to display the whole drawing as far as its drawing limits or drawing extents (whichever is the greater of the two). Zoom Dynamic This is a very useful ZOOM option once it is understood. It permits very quick movement around the drawing. Once selected, this option redraws the graphics area of the screen and displays two rectangles. The larger box shows the extents of the current drawing. The smaller box shows the current view with an "X" in the middle. This moves with the mouse. This view box should be positioned so that its lower left corner is at the lower left corner of the view required. By pressing the left button on the mouse, the "X" is replaced by an "> " pointing to the right side of the view box. This allows you to change the magnification. As the mouse is moved, the view box shrinks and expands so that the size of the required view can be set. The left mouse button toggles between PAN "X" and ZOOM "> " mode so that fine adjustments can be achieved. When the view required has been selected, press <ENTER> or right click to cause AutoCAD to display it. Zoom  Scale This is a 'hidden' default option. You do not have to type "S" to choose this option. It simply requires the entry of a number that represents a magnification factor. Note that the factor is applied to the entire drawing (as defined by the drawing's limits). Numbers less than 1 will reduce the displayed size of the drawing, while numbers greater than 1 will enlarge it. If "X" is inserted after the number (e.g.. 0.8x) then the factor is applied to the current view. If "XP" is inserted after the scale factor, then the view is scaled relative to paper space. This is useful for zooming a view within a paper space viewport to a specific scale, for example, "1/48XP" will produce a view of model space at a scale of ¼" = 1' relative to paper space. Zoom Center This option requires two things: a point that is to be the center of the new display and a value to be its new height in drawing units. The existing height is the default for the new height to allow for panning across the drawing. If the new height value is followed by "X" (e.g.. 2x), then it is taken as a magnification factor relative to the current height. If followed by "XP", then it is taken as a scale factor relative to paper space and can be used for scaling the contents of paper space viewports. Aerial View command:DSVIEWER Obsolete in 2010 and newer Aerial View is a zooming tool that displays a view of the drawing in a separate window so that you can quickly move to that area. If you keep the Aerial View window open as you work, you can zoom and pan without choosing a menu option or entering a command. You can change the view by creating a new view box in the Aerial View window. To zoom in to the drawing, make the view box smaller by left clicking a rectangle. To zoom out of the drawing, make the view box larger. As you zoom in or out of the drawing, a real-time view of the current zoom location is displayed in the graphics area. The screenshot shows how the view box looks. Right click in the box and you can move the box to where you want to zoom to. Zoom Object This option asks you to select an object or objects, then press <ENTER> and the screen will zoom to those objects only. This is great for when you want to work on object. Zoom In Clicking this icon will zoom in to the drawing by about 50%. This option is only available as an icon and cannot be invoked by the command line. Zoom Out Similar to 'Zoom In' - this icon will zoom out of your drawing and allow you to see about 50% more of your drawing space. Mouse Scroll No Icon If you have a scrolling wheel on your mouse, you can use it to zoom in and out of your drawing. Scroll towards you to zoom out and away from you to zoom in. You have the option to change the amount of zoom per wheel click with the Zoomfactor system variable. Keep in mind that you will zoom in and out using your mouse location as a 'center point'. PAN Panning allows you to quickly move around the drawing area at the same magnification you currently have set. Type in PAN (or P) <ENTER> and a hand will appear on the screen. Left click and hold to move around your drawing. As you can see there are quite a few options. To begin with I would strongly recommend getting really good at these 3: Use the Zoom > Extents whenever you want to see all objects. Use the Zoom > Window option to 'close-in' on one area. Use the Zoom > Previous option to return to where you were. I generally use them in conjunction with each other. I'll do a zoom extents to see what state the drawing is at, then perform a Zoom Window to get to the area I need to work in, then do a Zoom Extents when I am done in that area. In between, I may need to use a combination of Zoom Window and Zoom Previous. Additionally, using your mouse wheel to zoom can be very fast for moving in and out of an area - practice this technique as well. The zoom command can also be invoked transparently. This means that you can start it up in the middle of a command. For example, if you are in the trim command and want to see a bit more of your drawing, just type 'Z (note the apostrophe) at the command line and you can then zoom using any of the available options. Press <ENTER> to get back to your command. Also, right clicking while in the zoom command gives you options. Try this and see which choices are available with this.  View the video for this lesson. Exercise: Open one of your previous drawings, or one of the samples that came with your installation of AutoCAD and practice these techniques. You need to be good at this. Source From:www.mycadsite.com

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CHANGING THE PROPERTIES OF OBJECTS

Topics covered in this Lesson:

Object Properties

Now that you have learned how to draw objects and modify them using special commands, you need to know more ways to change the properties of an object. For instance, you may have made a spelling mistake in your text. You could erase it and re-create it, or you could double-click on it and just correct the error. Maybe you drew something on the wrong layer? This process is an extremely important tool to help you with your CAD work. DON'T REDRAW AN OBJECT - CHANGE ITS PROPERTIES There are a few ways to change, or view an objects properties. First is by using the PROPERTIES command. Command Keystroke Icon Location Result Properties PROPERTIES/ PR / CTRL+1 No Icon Home > Properties Displays the properties of the object in the Properties Palette Match Properties MATCHPROP / MA PAINTER Home > Clipboard >Match Properties Copies the properties from one object to another The method is quite easy and also the most complete way of viewing properties. Draw a line from (any point) to (any point) and press <ENTER>. This is only time I will not tell you to use specific coordinates. :) Now select the object by clicking on it and pick the properties icon. Once you do this, you should see the properties palette appear showing everything that makes that line what it is. What you see here is the complete palette. Before you look at the properties, take a moment to examine the palette itself. These are new to later versions of AutoCAD. Since it takes up a large amount of the screen, you have the option to either close it completely ('X' at the top) or collapse or hide the palette (below the X) for future reference. You can also dock a palette to the side of the screen. Try the buttons out and then continue reading. Now look at the properties as displayed in the palette. At the top are the 'General' properties - these are common to all AutoCAD objects (they all have them). You will see that one endpoint of the line is shown as the "Start X" and "Start Y" points (X,Y point). If you want to change the location of the X coordinate for the Start point, pick in the text area, type a number and press (ENTER). You also have the option of picking new X coordinate with the small icon shown above. Have good look at the palette. Erase the first line, draw another line and then display the new line's properties. You should see different numbers. Now erase the line and draw a circle. Display the properties and you will see different fields. You will see that the the Start X point has been changed to "Center X". The properties displayed are specific to the object you have selected. Now draw a line next to the circle. Select both by clicking on one, and then the other. Now display the properties by selecting the icon. You will now see a much short list of properties. This short list will include properties that are common to both objects, such as layer, color, etc. Now try something different. Erase everything and close the Properties palette. Draw a circle and then select it. Right click on the screen and choose the Properties option at the bottom of the list as shown below: You'll see the same palette appear - in the same space where you closed it. You also have the choice of selecting Quick Properties the same way. If you do, this is the smaller palette that you will see (handy on smaller monitors). OTHER OBJECTS By now you see how you can view and edit properties of objects you have drawn. Those the methods will work on any object. But what about other objects? Could there be easier ways to edit their properties? You bet! Enter a line of text like you did in the Lesson 1-8. View the properties like you did in the previous examples. Note again, the various fields that in this case are unique to Text. Now try "Double-Clicking" on the text. Now you can change the text and press <ENTER> (then <ENTER> to end the command). This is a much easier method to change the text's content, but none of the other properties. You could also have changed the text in the Properties palette, but this method is much quicker. Changing Layers Many times you will draw an object and find that is on the wrong layer. To change an object's layer, you can open the Properties palette (as shown above) or use this easy tip. Create a new LAYER (as you did in Lesson 1-8) and call it LINES. Do not make it the current layer. Draw a line on the 0 layer. Now select the object and then move your cursor up to the layer droplist. You'll see a list of all of your layers - pick on the LINES layer - then press ESC. Now when you check the properties of the line, you'll see that it is on the LINES layer. This is one method you will be using a lot, so learn it and master it. Match Properties One of the easiest ways to set properties is to use the MATCH PROPERTIES command. This is used by starting the command(MA) and then selecting the source object (the one that has the desired properties) and then selecting the target object(s). Use can also select the source object first, then the icon and then the target object. The icon for this command is in the clipboard tool panel. And no, I don't know why it's not in the Properties panel. Conclusion You now have the skills to change to properties of any object you draw. There are many ways of doing it, but you'll see that some methods are easier. So remember, once something is drawn, you can modify it as shown in the previous lessons in this level, or modify the properties. In only rare instances, is it easier to erase and redraw the object. As you learn more commands in the next lessons, try these methods to see what can be changed - and how. Source From:www.mycadsite.com

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