EP1 - AutoCAD 2D Basics

Table of Contents:

> Chapter Content

1. AutoCAD User Interface

2. Making Lines

3. Navigation Tools

4. Selection Set

5. Setting Units

6. Making Precise Lines

7. Polar Tracking TO DO

8. Ortho Mode TO DO

9. Dynamic Input TO DO

Quiz
Chapter summary

1. AutoCAD User Interface

Once you Start AutoCAD, you will see this Window,

a) Start a Drawing

To start drawing from Scratch, click on the Start Drawing button,

b) Application Tab

We have the Application Tab, with these Tools,

The Quick Access Toolbar is a set of tools similar to what you'll find in other software.

d) Tabs from Ribbon Area, Panels and Commands

Then we have the tabs and the ribbon area.
On this ribbon area, there are tabs like Home, Insert, Annotate, Parametric, and so on.

On these tabs, we have panels, and within the panels, you'll find the tools and commands.
To activate any command, simply click its icon, and the command will start

Note: You can also use the command alias, which is the shortcut for the command.
For example, to start the Line command, you can click here, or use its command alias, "L." Simply type "L" and press Enter to start the Line command.

e) Drawing Area

This is the drawing area, where everything is created in AutoCAD.

f) Command Line

Beneath the drawing area is the Command Bar, also called the Command Line.

g) Status Bar Toggles

Finally, we have the Status Bar Toggles right here. These toggles help in making precise drawings in AutoCAD. We'll discuss these later.

2. Our First Drawings

a) Line Tool and the Point Selection Cursor

Let’s make our first drawing. I'll start with the Line tool and left-click.

When you do this, your cursor will look like two intersecting lines. This type of cursor is called the point selection cursor.

Next to the cursor, you'll see a tooltip called the Dynamic Input Tooltip.

Note: If you don’t see it, press F12 to enable it. If you already have it, F12 will disable it.

Note: For this tutorial, I’ll disable the Dynamic Input Tooltip by pressing F12, so now we have an empty cursor.

The Command Line will instruct you to specify the first point.

b) Drawing a Triangle

Click anywhere, and that will be your first point. Click again for the second point,

and so on for the third and fourth points. Now, we have our first drawing.
Once finished, press Enter to exit the command.

After completing a line, the command remains active, so you’ll need to press Enter to stop it.

Next, let’s talk about the navigation tools. If you want to move your drawing, use the middle mouse wheel. A three-button mouse is recommended for AutoCAD, with left-click, right-click, and a middle mouse wheel.

To move move your view around your drawing, press and hold the middle mouse wheel. Your cursor will change to a hand icon. Move the mouse, and the camera will move with respect to the drawing.

Let go of the wheel, and only the cursor will move.

If you rotate the wheel, it will zoom in and out, with the point under your cursor being the zoom focus.

To select an object, click on it,

and to deselect, press the Escape key. Press Escape twice to clear any selection or command.

d) Drawing a Circle

Let’s make another drawing. I’ll select the Circle tool,

click at one point, and then another to complete the circle.

Now, we have a triangle and a circle.

3. Selection Tool Sets

a) Selection Window

To select multiple objects, you can use the selection windows. Click and release the cursor, then move the mouse to the right to create a solid Selection Window. Anything completely inside this window will be selected.

b) Crossing Window

To create a Crossing Window, click once and then move the mouse to the left, and you’ll see a dashed window. Any object touching the boundary of this window will be selected, even if it’s not entirely inside.

For example, in this case, the circle and two lines of the triangle are selected.

Press Escape to clear the selection.

c) Lasso Selection

There’s also the Lasso Selection. Press and hold the left mouse button, move the mouse, and you’ll get a Lasso Selection.

For now we won't need the drawings, we can delete them by selecting and then pressing delete,

4. Drawing Units (Settings)

Now, let’s talk about units. Before starting any drawing, you’ll want to set the correct units.

To set units, type UN (it will show in the command line) and press Enter.

The Drawing Units window will pop up.

a) Select Unit Scale

Here, you can select your preferred unit, such as millimeters or inches.

b) Select Unit Format

The Decimal Type gives you this output format (decimal units),

If you want the output in feet and inches, select Architectural.

For this example, I'll use inches and decimal format.

5. Making Precise Lines

Let’s make another drawing using the Line tool. You can click the icon or type L and press Enter.

Now, the Command Line prompts you to select a point.

a) Precise Length

Click anywhere, then move your cursor. AutoCAD will show the length of the line.

To specify an exact length, type the number (e.g., 100) and press Enter.

The line will be created.

Let's zoom in,

You can specify the length of your lines in any direction,

b) Precise Angle

If you want to specify an angle, you can do so easily. Let’s make a line of length 100 at a 30-degree angle. Instead of typing “30,” press Shift and the angle key,

then type “30” and press Enter

AutoCAD will interpret this as an angle, not a length.

Next, enter the length again, for example, 50, and you’ll have a 50-unit line at a 30-degree angle.

Remember to exit the command with the Enter key.

6. Polar Tracking (TO DO...)

You can also use Polar Tracking to specify angles automatically.

Select the Line Tool,

Polar Tracking is available on the Status Bar.

You can set it to snap to 30, 60, or 90-degree increments. Now, when you draw a line, it will automatically align to these angles.

8. Ortho Mode

You can also use Ortho Mode, which restricts lines to 90-degree angles only.

9. Dynamic Input

Let’s talk about another useful tool: Dynamic Input. If you press F12, the dynamic input tool becomes visible. This feature displays input fields directly next to the cursor, allowing you to enter lengths and angles without looking at the Command Line. To activate it, click the Dynamic Input option on the Status Bar, or press F12. You can also enable it in the Customization Menu if it’s not visible.

With Dynamic Input, you can quickly make lines with specific dimensions and angles. For example, type 200 for the length, press Tab, then type 45 for the angle. This will create a 200-unit line at a 45-degree angle. This feature is very useful for precise drawings.

These are the basic tools and methods for creating drawings in AutoCAD.

Next Video

In the next video, we’ll cover additional Draw and Modify tools, and make a simple drawing using them.

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