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 FIGURE 1
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
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 FIGURE 3
WORLD Coordinate orientation
and displays the WCS icon.

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

FIGURE 2
3, you will see that this
position is slightly
deceptive.

     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 FIGURE 3
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 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. FIGURE 4
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.

Look again at FIGURE 4.

Notice the WCS icon and its  
orientation to the model.
Although for this example I FIGURE 5
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 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 FIGURE 6
THUMB as the X-axis, the INDEX Finger
as the Y-axis, and the MIDDLE Finger as
the Z-axis.

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 FIGURE 11
solid, it would slow down the
operation of the program
because of the number of
calculations the computer
would 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.
FIGURE 15
Look at FIGURE 15 to see
how a model looks when
Render is used.

     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 FIGURE 16

regen after 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.

Congratulations! You have now finished Tutorial 3.

Solid models are a lot of fun, aren't they?

In the next tutorial, you will learn how to convert a solid model to a
Multiview Drawing.

AutoCAD is a registered trademark of AutoDesk, Inc.

AutoCAD Tutorial 3: For Release 2000i was written by:

Dr. Alice Y. Scales, Ed. D.
Graphic Communications Program
Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

This work is copyrighted and the property of Alice Y. Scales and is not to be copied
without permission of the author.

9/5/01

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