utoCAD Tutorial 3:

FOR RELEASE 2000i

PLEASE READ: ___________

     These tutorials were designed to be part of the introductory courses taught by the Graphic
Communications Program at NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY. All of the directions used in
this, and the other tutorials in this series, assume that you are running AutoCAD Release 2000i on an NT
system. These directions will only work with Release 2000i. Other versions may not have the same
commands or format.

OBJECTIVES:
After completing this tutorial you should be able to:

1. define, reorient, and utilize the User Coordinate System;

2. create a simple solid model from primitives and combine them using Boolean Operations;
3. use the ROTATE and MOVE commands to reposition parts for a model;

4. use the HIDE command to remove hidden features in a solid model;

5. use the RENDER command to add shading to a solid model;

6. insert a model into the titleblock, scale it, and print it.

STEP 1
     To work effectively with CAD programs, such as AutoCAD, you must be able to create three-
dimensional models of an object and convert them to two-dimensional drawings. One aspect of
AutoCAD, and many other CAD programs, is that the creation of a model relies heavily on your
understanding of the Cartesian System (X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis) and your ability to relate it to the
model in space. In this program you must change the orientation of the X, Y, and Z planes to suit the needs
of the drawing process. In AutoCAD, variations of the Cartesian System are referred to as the User
Coordinate System (UCS). The User Coordinate System allows you to reposition the location of the origin
point (0,0,0) and the X, Y, and Z axes during a model's construction.

In the last two tutorials you worked with two-dimensional (flat) drawings and AutoCAD's default
coordinate orientation, referred to as the WORLD Coordinate System (WCS). One of the main
objectives of this tutorial will be to give you some experience creating and using User Coordinate Systems
(UCS), which are coordinate systems defined by the user. There are some AutoCAD elements you
cannot place or modify unless you change the UCS orientation first.

Look at FIGURE 1, which displays the World

Coordinate System (WCS) icon you have been
seeing in the AutoCAD drawing area. You may
have noticed it before, but until now you did not
need to be concerned about it. Since you were
working in a two-dimensional world, the default
XY plane orientation was sufficient for your
drawings.

The UCSICON, which you have seen displayed so

far, is a three-dimensional icon. Although it has FIGURE 1
some advantages because it displays the Z-axis in
some views, we will switch to the more traditional
two-dimensional icon provided by AutoCAD for the
discussions of the UCSICON.

Type ucsicon at a Command: prompt. The

prompt will read: Enter an option
[ON/OFF/All/Noorigin/ORigin/Properties]
<OFF>: type the letter p, for Properties, and
press the Enter key. The UCSICON Properties
dialogue box will appear.

Now that you have the UCSICON Properties

dialogue box open, click on 2D (See Figure 2) to
change the icon to a 2-dimensional version of the
icon. The 2D makes it easier to tell when you are in
AutoCAD's default orientation or World
Coordinate System (WCS).

Notice the letter W on the icon in FIGURE 3. This

W indicates that you are in AutoCAD's WORLD
Coordinate System (WCS). Since this is
AutoCAD's default coordinate orientation, a new
file in AutoCAD always opens in the WORLD
Coordinate orientation and displays the WCS icon.
FIGURE 3
The WORLD Coordinate System (WCS) icon
also labels the positions of the X and Y- axes. The
Z-axis, which is not labeled on the 2D icon, lies
perpendicular to the other two. In a default file, the
POSITIVE (+) Z-AXIS is perpendicular to the
 computer screen and points towards you. If you
understand this relationship, you can understand
how to reposition the X, Y, and Z axes to form a
User Coordinate System (UCS).

     Look at Figure 2 (to the RIGHT)

which again shows the WORLD
Coordinate System icon.

In this orientation, notice that the X-

axis is aligned at the 0 degree mark
on a flat 360 degree XY plane. Your
position IN this flat XY plane is at the
270 degree mark, but you are also at a
90 degree angle FROM the XY plane
or looking straight down the Z-axis.

If you look at FIGURE 3, you will see

that this position is slightly deceptive.
FIGURE 2

     In reality, you would be looking at a top view of a model

or drawing in AutoCAD when your point of view matches the
default WORLD Coordinate orientation. See FIGURE 3.

Think of the front of your screen, in this orientation, as a table

top flipped up on its side. Fortunately, it is a virtual table top
so you do not have to worry about things sliding off. You must
become comfortable with this orientation for the World
Coordinate System to use the User Coordinate System.

NOTE: AutoCAD uses this "plan view" as its default

orientation because it was originally designed for architectural FIGURE 3
drawings, and this orientation was appropriate for drawing
floor plans.
    To see a solid model as a three-dimensional
object, you must adjust your viewpoint (using
AutoCAD's Vpoint command) to the model.

In AutoCAD, the coordinate orientation and

your viewpoint of a model are independent of
each other. You can change your viewpoint of the
model without changing the model's coordinate
system. This is like repositioning a camera to take a
photograph of an object that is lying on a table
without moving the object on the table, i.e. without
changing the object's coordinates.

In FIGURE 4 the eye represents the default view

point of an individual to the model as described
above. Notice that the eye is looking straight down
at the model. The image seen from this vantage  
point would look like the one in FIGURE 5, which
appears to be a 2D drawing of the object's top. FIGURE 4

Look again at FIGURE 4. Notice the WCS icon

and its orientation to the model. Although for this
example I changed the Viewpoint so the model  
would appear three-dimensional, the orientation of
the WORLD Coordinate System has not
changed; therefore, the location of the XY Plane
has remained the same. **When you work with
solid models, you must constantly be aware of
the orientation of the coordinate system so you
can correctly add new or modify existing
features.**

Later in this tutorial, you will change your

viewpoint (Vpoint) and the coordinate system in
order to construct a simple model.  

**If you do not understand some of these FIGURE 5

concepts, you need to read this information
again.**

     One of the best ways to remember the relationship of the X,

Y, and Z axes is the RIGHT HAND RULE. This rule uses
three fingers on the RIGHT hand, each finger representing an
axis.

Look at FIGURE 6 to see a right hand in its proper

arrangement, with labels for the X, Y, and Z axes. The thumb,
index finger, and middle finger are pointing in the POSITIVE
direction of each axis. These fingers are held at a 90 degree
angle to each other with the THUMB as the X-axis, the
INDEX Finger as the Y-axis, and the MIDDLE Finger as the  
Z-axis.
FIGURE 6
By holding these fingers in this position, and changing the
position of your hand, you can see the relationship of the axes
when the coordinate system is changed. (See FIGURE 7).

Try placing your fingers in the position shown in FIGURE 6

and then rotate your hand so that you change the axes to the
position illustrated in FIGURE 7. FIGURE 6 would be the
correct position for the X and Y axes to be oriented to the
FRONT of an object. This orientation would have to be defined
by the user, and, therefore, would be a User Coordinate
System. FIGURE 7 would be the World Coordinate System,
which is the same as a coordinate system with the X and Y axes
oriented with the TOP of the object.
FIGURE 7
Finally, try to position you hand for a RIGHT SIDE orientation.

STEP 2
     To begin your model, locate and open the classtemplate file you created in the Tutorial 1.

Use Save As... to rename it acadtutor3.

Click on the Model tab, next to the Layout1 tab, to move to MODEL Space. Your model must be created
in Model Space, since it is 3-dimensional space.

To see if you have a grasp of the User Coordinate System, and give you some experience with
modeling in AutoCAD, you will change your viewpoint in the acadtutor3 file. The standard view is
aligned with the World Coordinates. Your new viewpoint will provide a "pictorial" view of a model
similar to the one in FIGURE 4.

Read the information on the Viewpoint (Vpoint) command and use its Rotate option to rotate your
view to 300 degrees IN the XY plane and 35 degrees FROM the XY plane. FIGURE 8 illustrates the
change in your view to a model. Your view after completing this operation will look like the one in
FIGURE 9. (Note: Your WCS icon may be in a different position than the one shown in the illustrations.)

FIGURE 9

FIGURE 8
Notice that the cross-hairs on the screen are now at a skewed angle (see FIGURE 9). This indicates that
your Viewpoint is different, but the WCS has not changed.

To help you visualize your position even better, let's turn on AutoCAD's grid. Find the Status Line at the
bottom of the screen, and click on the GRID button. See the FIGURE below.

You also should see that the dot pattern (GRID) matches the WCS. The cross hairs and grid are always
aligned with the WCS or UCS. NOTE: If your viewpoint is perpendicular to the current coordinate
system's XY plane, so you are looking at its edge, the grid disappears and the UCS or WCS icon is replaced
by one that looks like a broken pencil, see the FIGURE to the RIGHT .

STEP 3
     To begin assembling your model, you will first create a BOX.

The Box command is one of a class of commands known as PRIMITIVES. Primitives are simple
shapes that can be combined or subtracted from other solids, through a process known as BOOLEAN
Operations, to create a more complex shape. Many software programs use Primitives and Boolean
Operations to model objects.

You will use several Primitives to create your model. ***WARNING:*** Getting these features in the
correct place will depend on whether you correctly orient your coordinate system, so work through
this section carefully.

To help you work with primitives, you can display a SOLIDS toolbar, like the Osnap toolbar you used
in the last tutorial. Locate the View pull-down menu, and then select Toolbars... The Solids toolbar is
one of many you can display on the screen though this command. You also can customize toolbars through
the Toolbar dialogue box. Find the name Solids, and click on the check box to its left. As soon as the
Solids toolbar appears, close the Toolbar dialogue window. Move the Solids toolbar to an
appropriate location by holding down the left mouse button on its top edge and dragging it.

Before creating your first primitive, look at FIGURE 10 to see what it should look like after you complete
the next set of instructions.

 
 FIGURE 10

To create a box, you will use the Box command. Read the information on the Box command by
clicking on the Box link.

Now, follow the prompts to add a box that starts at the 0,0,0 point.
Note the addition of the THIRD number, which is the Z axis. You must also work in the Z-axis when
working with solids.
The box's second corner should be placed at 60,40, which is the opposite diagonal corner of the Box's
base on the XY plane, and its height should be 40.

NOTE: When creating primitives in AutoCAD, the Height is always along the Z-axis of the coordinate
system used. The value for the height can be a positive or negative number, and its sign dictates in which
direction the primitive is projected.

Now, check your drawing against FIGURE 10. If your figure does not match, erase it and try again.

Notice that the box you created appears to be transparent. This is just one of the ways that AutoCAD can
display a model.

     Your model is being displayed in

WIREFRAME mode. See FIGURE 11 (on
the RIGHT) for another example of a model
displayed as a wireframe. WIREFRAMES
show only the edges of a model, so the model
appears to be transparent. You can think of the
lines that make up a WIREFRAME as "wires"
that indicate the model's edges, hence the
name. Wireframes can be difficult to interpret
because they are transparent; however, they are
easier for the computer to display, so they are
AutoCAD's default method of displaying a
solid model. If the model was always displayed
as an opaque solid, it would slow down the  
operation of the program because of the
number of calculations the computer would
FIGURE 11
have to perform to generate the image.

HAVE YOU SAVED YOUR FILE LATELY?

STEP 4
     You will now add a second box centered with the first. Because the orientation of this box will be the
same as the first (in World Coordinates) you will not have to change the coordinate system before adding
it.

You will use the Box command again, but instead of drawing the box from corner to corner, you will add it
about a center point. To find the center of the original box, you need to add some construction lines. Look
at FIGURE 12 to see where to add these lines.
 Notice that two lines have been drawn diagonal across the top and
bottom of the box (use the Endpoint Osnap), and one line
connects the top line's midpoint (use the Midpoint Osnap) to the
bottom line's midpoint.

**NOTE: The Intersection Osnap will NOT work with a

solid model.

FIGURE 12

With these lines inserted, you are ready to use the CEnter option
of the Box command to add the second box. Consult the
information of the Box command again before inserting this second box. Be sure to select the Center
option by typing the capital letters of this option. Now, use the midpoint Osnap to locate the center of
this box at the midpoint of the vertical construction line you just added. The second corner of the box should
be at @-20,-10,20. Look at FIGURE 13 to see how the box should look when you are done.

FIGURE 13

 Help!! My second box is wrong!!

If your second box is not the correct size and shape, or it is not centered with the larger box (which means
your box is not the correct size and shape) you probably made one of two possible errors:

— either you forgot to used the midpoint Osnap to select the center for the box on the vertical line,

OR

— you did not select the Center option before giving the box's coordinates. Failing to select the Center
option is the most common error made.

After evoking the Box command, the first prompt is Specify corner of box or [Center] <0,0,0>:.
At this prompt you must type a "ce" and then press Enter to indicate that you want a box created about a
center point.

Erase the box and then try to add it again, keeping these possible errors in mind.

Now, erase the construction lines you used to locate the center for the second box.
 HAVE YOU SAVED YOUR FILE LATELY?

You will use the second box you added to cut a rectangular hole through the first. The command you will
use for this operation is called the Subtract command and is a Boolean Operation. Read the information
on this command before you start.

Use the Subtract command to remove the smaller box from the bigger one. Look at FIGURE 14 to see
how the figure should now look.

Hint: Read the description of the prompts for this command carefully. The prompts will direct you to select
the solid or solids you want to subtract another solid or solids FROM (the larger box) and then to select
the solid or solids you want to subtract (the smaller box). If you are not paying attention, it is easy to get
these reversed.

FIGURE 14

After you use the Subtract command, the model doesn't not look any different, so let's check your model
by using the Render command. This is a second way that AutoCAD can display a solid model, and it is
also a good way to see if you completed the last command correctly. Because the model you are working on
is displayed as a wireframe, you cannot tell if the smaller box was actually removed from the larger one.

      The Render command adds

shading to the surfaces of a model.
Since this consumes a great deal of
memory, it should only be used
occasionally to check your model.
AutoCAD will return the figure to a
wireframe, but you must type regen
at a Command: prompt to return
the model to a normal wireframe
appearance.

Look at FIGURE 15 to see how a

 
model looks when Render is used.
FIGURE 15

     Read the directions for the

Render command and use it to
render your model. Yours may not
be this color.

When you have completed viewing

the model, use Escape (Esc) and
then type regen at a Command:
prompt to refresh the model and
remove the shading.

     The third way that AutoCAD can

display a solid model is with the
Hide command. The Hide
command removes the hidden lines in
a model so that it appears opaque. It  
is a quicker way to check your model
for errors than the Render
command.

FIGURE 16, to the RIGHT,

illustrates the look of a model when
the Hide command is used. Use the
Hide link to read the procedures for
using this command and then apply it
to your model.  

It is not necessary to use regen after FIGURE 16

the Hide command. AutoCAD will
return your model to a wireframe
appearance when you activate
another command.

If the Render or Hide commands revealed that the model was not correct, undo the last steps you
completed and try again.

STEP 5
     To add the next feature, you must change the UCS (User Coordinate System) so the XY Plane is
oriented to the Front face. There are two ways to do this. One way is to type ucs at a Command: prompt,
select the orthoGraphic option and then Front.

The second way is to type dducs at a Command: prompt, which will bring up the UCS dialogue box. See
FIGURE 17. Now,, select the Front UCS orientation in the UCS dialogue box.

Look at the UCSICON on the AutoCAD screen to be sure the UCS changed.
FIGURE 17

NOTE: Anytime "dd" is at the beginning of a typed command, AutoCAD will display a dialogue box.

STEP 6
With the UCS oriented to Front, you can add a cylinder, with the Cylinder command , through this
side of the model. NOTE: The UCS change was needed before you could add this cylinder because the
circular base of a cylinder is always oriented with the XY plane of the current UCS.

To locate the cylinder, you need to add a construction line diagonally across the front surface of the box
(as seen in FIGURE 18). The cylinder will be located at the midpoint of this construction line.

   FIGURE 18

Before adding the cylinder, read

the information on the Cylinder
command.

Now, add a cylinder at the

Midpoint of the diagonal
construction line that has a radius
of 10 and a height of -50.

Notice the use of the negative

number for height. The cylinder height, which is along the Z-axis, must be negative so it will be projected
into the model. A positive height value would project the cylinder forward so that it sat on the front of the
box's face.

 After adding the cylinder, erase the diagonal construction line.

Use the Subtract command to remove the cylinder from the rest of the model. See FIGURE 19.

NOTE: If your model does not match the one in FIGURE 20 after the last Subtract operation, then
you did not subtract the smaller box from the larger one earlier. If you subtract it now, the model will
still be correct.

FIGURE 19
 HAVE YOU SAVED YOUR FILE LATELY?

STEP 7
     To carry out the next step, use the UCS command to change back to the World Coordinate System.
You can make this change by typing ucs at a Command: prompt, and selecting the World option. Check
the UCS icon for the W to be sure you made the change properly.

The last primitive you will add to the model is a small Wedge on its RIGHT FRONT CORNER. To
understand how the Wedge command works, you will need a little explanation. The Wedge command will
prompt you for the two diagonal corners of the base of the wedge. The next prompt will ask for the wedge's
height. Wedges tend to be oriented in one direction. Therefore, you will create the wedge, rotate it into a
new position, and then move it to its final location.

Read the information on the WEDGE command before you start.

With this information, activate the WEDGE command. Locate the first corner of the wedge at the Right
Front corner of the existing model. When prompted for the next corner, use a relative coordinate to place
this corner at 30,30 and 20 for the height. See FIGURE 20.

FIGURE 20

The WEDGE you just added is not in the orientation that is needed, so you need to ROTATE it and then
MOVE it into the correct position.

We will begin by using the Rotate command to turn the

wedge -90 degrees. Read the information on the Rotate
command before we start.

To rotate the wedge you will follow the prompts that first
ask you to select the object you wish to rotate. Next, a
prompt will instruct you to select a Base point. The Base
point is the position on the wedge that you will rotate the
object around. You should use the Endpoint Osnap and
the front left corner of the wedge as its Base point. See
FIGURE 21. Finally, the prompt will ask you for the
degrees of rotation. Use -90 so that the figure will rotate
into the correct position. NOTE: You could also have used 270 degrees to rotate the object to the same
position.

FIGURE 21

  Your figure should look like FIGURE 22 when you are finished.

FIGURE 22

The next step will be to move the

wedge into position. To change its
position, you use the MOVE
command. Read the MOVE
command before you begin.

When using the MOVE command to

move the wedge, and select the
Front LEFT corner of the wedge
as the Base point for the move. See
FIGURE 23.

FIGURE 23
 Finally, select the Front LEFT
corner of the box as the point to
align the wedge with. See FIGURE
24.

FIGURE 24

The final figure should look like the

one in FIGURE 25.

FIGURE 25

Save your file!

STEP 8
      To finish the model, you will add a cylinder to the middle of the sloped surface of the wedge. Because
the base of a cylinder is always aligned with the XY plane, and we want to have the cylinder parallel with
the top of the wedge, you must reorient the UCS to the face of the wedge.

AutoCAD allows you to place a UCS anywhere you need it to accomplish the task you need. To place the
UCS, we will use the 3Point option of the UCS command. Reread the information on the UCS command.

Activate the UCS command, select the New option and then 3point. Look at FIGURE 26. When the
prompts ask for a new origin point, use an Osnap to select the point labeled as 1. When asked for a
positive on the new X-axis, select the point labeled 2, and when as for a positive position on the Y-axis,
select the point labeled 3. When you are finished, the UCS will be oriented to the figure as it is in FIGURE
27.
FIGURE 26

FIGURE 27

With the UCS aligned with the slope of the wedge, construct a line from one corner of the sloped surface
of the wedge diagonally to the opposite corner of the same surface. See FIGURE 30. Use the Midpoint of
this construction line to place a cylinder that has a radius of 5 and a height of -20. Once the cylinder is
placed,

FIGURE 28
FIGURE 29

Subtract the cylinder from the wedge.

To finish the figure, you will use the UNION command to connect the wedge to the rest of the model. Read
the information on the UNION command and then complete the model.

FIGURE 30
Erase the construction line used to place the cylinder.

STEP 9
    With the model complete, you are ready to insert it into your titleblock.

Move to Layout1 by selecting the Layout1 tab. If the model appears in the layout, click on the viewport
edge and erase it.

Next, use the VPORTS command to create a Single Viewport that fills the drawing area of the titleblock.
HINT: Remember to select the opposite diagonal corners of the drawing area for the corners of the
viewport.

In Layout1, click on the edge of the viewport to select it. HINT: Remember you can click on the upper edge
of the titeblock to select this viewport because it overlaps the edges of the titleblock image area. Now, locate
the Viewport Toolbar and select a scale of 2:1 in the Scale window to scale the model size. Finally, if the
model needs moving, use the PAN command to adjust its position in the window.

     Once the model is centered in the titleblock, you must Explode it before you can edit the text if it is not
already exploded. Use ddedit to edit the text in the block as needed. Remember, you need to change the
size in the SCALE: section to match the size of the figure inside the titleblock or 2:1. See FIGURE 31.

FIGURE 31

FIGURE 32
You are now ready to Plot your drawing, but first we will make two additional settings.

The first setting you need to make will remove the hidden edges in the model when it is printed. To remove
these edges, you will use the Properties command. To make this change, again select the edge of the
viewport containing the model if it is not already selected. Now, type prop or at a Command: prompt or
select Properties on the Modify menu. The Properties dialogue box will appear. See FIGURE 32.

In this dialogue box, locate the listing, Hide plot. NOTE: It does not matter if the Alphabetic or
Categorized list is used, since this heading appears on both lists. Click in the block to the Right of Hide
plot heading and a Drop-down menu will appear. Click on the drop-down menu arrow and select Yes.
Close this dialogue box. Now, select the Plot command and make the selections that are listed in the Plot
information.

The second setting you need to make will remove the contour or mesh lines that are added to solids in
AutoCAD when a solid is printed with the Hide plot setting is selected. Normally your print with Hide plot
selected would look like the model in FIGURE 33. To remove these so that the model will print, as the one
in FIGURE 34, you will use a command called DISPSILH (Display Show silhouettes). To access this
command you can either type dispsilh at a Command: prompt or select Options... and then Display
Show silhouettes in wireframe under the Tools menu. The prompts will read: Enter new value for
DISPSILH <0>: Type 1 and press Enter.

FIGURE 33

  

FIGURE 34

Use the Plot command and make the appropriate settings to print the model. You can check these settings
by reading the information of the PLOT command again. Check the look of the drawing by selecting Full
Preview and then click on OK to send the drawing to the printer.