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AN INTRODUCTION TO DRAWING IN
AUTOCAD
CREATED BY: ARMAN NADERI
To create a new document to click the AutoCAD icon at the top left corner of the screen and then
open the “acad” drawing template file.
To modify the working units on the drawing click the AutoCAD icon at the top left corner of the
screen and then click “Units” under the “Drawing Utilities” tab. Change units to “Millimeters.”
Biosensors for Cancer – BIOEN 472
Drawing Tools: In the red box at the top of the screen, under the home tab of the navigation bar,
you will find all of the most relevant tools for drawing in AutoCAD. In this tab, we will focus on
the use of the Draw, Modify, and Layers sections.
Command Bar: In the blue box at the bottom of the screen you will find the command bar. This
console can be used to input commands via text, and is also used to guide you in the
specification of parameters when using the tools within Draw and Modify.
DRAWING
Drawing in AutoCAD is unlike many other CAD programs that you may be familiar with
because object location and properties are not determined by user-defined constraints. To begin,
I will introduce the snap features that are useful when drawing different geometries. By clicking
the icon indicated by the purple arrow on the left in the figure above, a small window will appear
that will show whether you would like to have Polar Snap or Grid Snap on. Polar Snap allows
you to set the angle for every line you draw while it is on, and Grid Snap automatically places
the cursor only on the grid lines. There are also other snap options that can be used by clicking
Snap Settings within the icon indicated with the purple arrow on the right. A larger window
should appear that will indicate what type of Object Snaps you want to have on. I recommend
always having Endpoint turned on as this will make it easy to ensure that multiple lines are
connected when drawing, but you can also turn on the other snaps depending on your own
personal preference.
Biosensors for Cancer – BIOEN 472
You may be familiar with using the Dimension tool and other constraints in programs
like Inventor or Fusion 360 to define the length of a line, or the distance between two lines or
objects; this tool does not work the same in AutoCAD. THE DIMENSION TOOL IN
AUTOCAD CANNOT BE USED TO REDEFINE THE LENGTH, DIAMETER, ETC. OF
ANY GIVEN OBJECT - IT IS SIMPLY AN ANNOTATION.
In order to specify distances between objects in AutoCAD, you must use the line
command to manually define the distance and the angle, and then from that endpoint, draw your
desired object or geometry. Once you have drawn the desired object, you can delete that so-
called “construction” line. If you make a mistake with the length, diameter, etc. of an object, you
must delete the incorrect object and create a new one with the correct parameters. There are tools
you can use to help in the correction of mistakes, and for general use when drawing, in the
Modify section of the home tab.
Task 1: Please complete these tasks in your drawing, and then check with me after you have
completed them.
MODIFY TOOLS
Biosensors for Cancer – BIOEN 472
Move: After specifying the set of objects you want to move, select a base point that will serve as
a reference to move those objects from, and then select the end point to which those objects will
move to with respect to the base point.
Trim: Select the line that you would like to trim around,
and the select the line that you would to trim.
Extend: Select the line that you would like to extend to,
and then select the line that you would like to extend.
Mirror: Select the object(s) that you would like to mirror, and specify the mirror line.
Biosensors for Cancer – BIOEN 472
Rectangular Array: Select the object(s) that you would like to mirror, specify the number of
objects you would like copy into a row or column, and the spacing between those copies in each
row and column.
Task 2:
LAYERS
Biosensors for Cancer – BIOEN 472
Task 3: