How to deal with AutoCAD Steps By:

Eng.Ali Issa (MSC in Mechanical Engineering)

Basics

1. Click on AutoCAD icon that appears on your desktop:

Interface page appears once you open the software and it shows three sections:

• Get started section

• Recent Documents
• Notification and Connect Page

Note: if you already finished your drawing and save it, you can click on recent
documents to make edit on it and save it again.

2. How I start a new page on AutoCAD:

1. Click on (+) sign beside the tab start to open a new drawing.

3. How to edit on my workspace:

• Menu Bar:
Should appear always: options of drawing appear in the menu bar (file-
edit – view- insert-output -etc.…)
→ To show it:
Drafting and Annotation → Show menu bar
• Command section:
1. It is the most important section, where you give order to the software in
order to draw?
2. You can hide it or show it by pressing (ctrl+9)
3. You can drag it to any place in the workspace
• Zoom in or Zoom out to workspace?
You can zoom in or out by the curser of the mouse.
Zoom in: drawings appear in clear way.
Zoom out: drawings appear but not clear to the eye of the designer.
• Options:
We edit the options in order to adjust colors, size, and version of saving
files.
How to edit them?
Right click on mouse → Options→ Now, a screen appears as follow:
Display Section:
Window element:
Color scheme: Select white or black→ Apply
Display file tabs → select your background (select black) → Apply
Automatic save → click yes (put 5 min)
Hint: Other settings in display section → don’t edit them and press ok to
leave.
File Section:
Make sure you save your drawing as (2007 / LT2007 Drawing (*dwg) → Ok
Why we do this?
We save our drawing as old version before start any drawing so that when I
finish and save it on desktop, I can send it to any engineer and still he open
it in case he doesn’t have the latest version of software that I have.

Note:
The plot and publish / system/ user preferences/ drafting/3D modelling /
selection/ profiles that appears upon pressing options → don’t edit them
and press ok.

Grid: background could be girded or not.

In Model bar: activate it or turn it off.

Very important before you start to draw:

 The options that are placed below (beside model tab) should be turned on:
1. Ortho
2. Polar track (it shows angles of your drawing)
3. Object Snap (click on arrow beside it to turn all the options such as
midpoint- endpoint-center)

UNITS:
Before you start drawing, make sure you put the correct units as required:
• Meter
• Centimeter
• Inch
• Feet
• Millimeter

How I select it:

Click on Format→Units →select unit→ ok

How to check all Commands in AutoCAD?

Click on express tools→ Command Aliases→ check all commands and you can edit
them.

3. How I use Panel drawing (line – circle – polyline- arc- rectangle):

1. Line:
Command section: write L enter or in the panel draw select line option.
We have many options to draw a line:
• Two points or Length
• Length + angle ( oblique line)
• X,Y dimension

How I draw them:

Write L enter→ select first point; write the length in command section or in the
box → escape
Write L enter → select first and second point → write required length→ escape

Write L enter → write dimension of length + press shift + (<) symbol on

keyboard→ put required angle →escape

Note: Angle is counter clockwise always

How I draw a line within (x, y) dimension:

Put value of x → enter → press shift + (<) symbol on keyboard → put y dimension
→ escape.

Now:

To draw a vertical or horizontal line:

Click in command section: F8 and start to draw.

Or click (ortho) in display options below workspace to activate it.

2. Polyline: Polyline is a set of continuous lines with set of dimensions entered.

Write in Command section: pol or select it from draw panel

→draw continuous line with required dimension→ escape

3. Rectangle:

Write in the command section: rec or select it from draw panel

We have 2 ways:

• draw random rectangle→press on dimension on command list →put Length

then put the width→ escape

• ( X,Y ) rectangle → we have rectangle ( 20,10) :

Draw random rectangle → put value of x → enter→ press shift + (<) symbol
on keyboard → enter y value → escape.
3. Circle:

We have many options to draw a circle, depending on case of the circle.

Types of circles:

1. Center, radius

2. Center, diameter

3. Tangent, Tangent, Tangent

4. Tangent, Tangent, radius

How I draw them:

Write in command list: C enter or select it from draw panel.

: Choose your option

4. Arc:

We have many options to draw an arc, usually we draw arc by three points and
we defined its radius

5. How I use Hatch:

Hatch is used to color a specific area in my drawing.

How I use it?

Write in command section: Hatch or click on it in draw panel

Hatch →Click on sides of drawing→ select this option (pick points) → ok

Note:

You can change Hatch Size, color and angle of distribution in Hatch properties:

In the Pattern tab: select your shape of HATCH:

1. AR-B88

2. AR-BRELM

3. AR-BRSTD etc.…..

In the Properties:

I change in the angle, thickness as you want → set origin

To Color you’re Hatch:

Click on something called (Bylayer) in the properties→ select red or blue→ enter.

6. How I write the name of zones (bedroom-Livingroom- etc.)?

There is something called (Align Text) in the Annotation panel

How it works?

Click on Align Text → Select Multiline Text → specify your first and second corner
→ a word form appears to write → select your style, thickness, color → write
name of zones, walls, area→ ok

7. How I use the following tabs in the Modify Panel?

Modify Panel contain:

1. Copy

2. Move

3. Extend

4. Trim

5. Offset

6. Mirror
7. Rotate

8. Array

• Copy: it allows u to copy parts of your drawing to other places.

USAGE:

Write in command text: CO or click on copy in modify panel

: Specify base point in your drawing

: move it with your curser of your mouse → ok

• Move : it allows u to move your parts of drawing at a specific distance

USAGE:

Write in command text: move or click on it

: specify base point → select distance→ ok

• Extend: it allows u to extend dimension of your parts

USAGE:

Write in command text: Ext or click on it

: Select the lines in your drawing → put extend distance →

• Trim: it allows u to deletes parts in your drawing

USAGE:

Write in command Text: Tr or click on it in panel

Tr → enter →select parts→ ok

• Offset: it allows u to copy parts in your drawing within a distance

USAGE:

Write in command text: off or click on it in modify panel

USAGE: off →select offset distance→ select part →ok

• Mirror: it allows u to mirror full drawing in your workspace?

USAGE:

Write in command text: mirror or click on it

: Select all parts → draw virtual line (user says to u draw a

specified points) → click on it → mirror appears

• Rotate: it allows u to rotate parts in your drawing

USAGE:

Write in command Text: rot or click on it

: specify any base point → click your desired rotate angle

→ ok

Note: if you want to rotate clockwise: we put negative sign beside number (-45˚)

: If you want to rotate it clockwise: we put positive value

 • Array : set of drawing repeated within a distance

We have three types of arrays:

1. Polar Arrays (repeated circles)

2. Rectangular Arrays (repeated rectangles)

3. Polar track (line drawn on it repeated parts)

How I use it?

Draw your part and the part you are willing to repeat →click on polar array→
select (circle, rectangle, etc.) →click on center of non-repeated part of your
drawing → ok

8. Layers:

Layers are the most important thing in AutoCAD, because without using layers
you will not able to differentiate between blocks, wall, beams,corners,ducts….

How I Select multiple Layers in order to know parts of my drawing?

Click on Layer properties → Know a default layers appear:

1. rename it (as u want in your drawing)

2. change its size (press on it and select suitable by press load)

3. Change it color (press on it and select your color by press load)

Notes in using layer:

• u can use these two commands to hide or show some parts that you draw
them by using layers:
 • if you write Lay-on/ off in command section then by lay-off: your parts will
disappear that are drawn by layers upon selecting it
• if you write by lay-on: your parts will show again automatically.
• if you write isolate-on / off: the only part selected will only show and the
other will disappear.
• if you write isolate-on will appear automatically ( all parts)

9. How I use fillet and Chamfer?

Fillet: we use it to bend two lines

How I use it:

Click on fillet or write F in command section → enter radius → fillet appears

Chamfer: Chamfer is used mainly in sheet metals; it is acute angle between two
lines

How I use it?

Write Cha in command section or select it → enter radius →chamfer appears

10. Multiline?

I use multiline usually in order to draw to parallel lines

HOW I use it:

Write in command section: ml → select your line → draw two parallel lines.

Note:

you can choose color, scale, and type of lines from ml options recommended by
command list.