AUTOCAD CERTIFIED USER

PREP
A guide for the ACU Certification Exam

ADVANCED INTELLIGENT MODELING SOLUTIONS

#90 Union Road Marabella

Prepared By: Traci Hoskins, Autodesk Certified Instructor (ACI)

Table of Contents

ACU/ACP Exam Road Map ...................................................................................................................... 2

Apply basic drawing skills........................................................................................................................ 4
Use Drawing Aids .................................................................................................................................... 5
Edit Entities ............................................................................................................................................. 5
Work with Curves.................................................................................................................................... 6
Control Object Visibility and Appearance ............................................................................................... 6
Use Blocks and Xrefs ............................................................................................................................... 6
Use Hatching and Gradients ................................................................................................................... 6
Create and Edit Text................................................................................................................................ 7
Dimensioning .......................................................................................................................................... 7
Layouts and Annotative Objects ............................................................................................................. 7
Printing and Plotting ............................................................................................................................... 7
Exam Tips ................................................................................................................................................ 8
ACU/ACP Exam Road Map
Apply basic drawing skills
- Create, open and publish files

Use the Application Menu →Open to open files, and PLOT or PRINT in paper space for
publishing.

- Draw lines and rectangles

- Fillet and Chamfer lines

Ensure that you read the command line when accessing these commands. Check the
Command History while using FILLET and CHAMFER to verify Fillet Radius and Chamfer
Distances. Make sure Object Snap and Polar Tracking are turned on.

- Select objects

Objects can be selected in a variety of ways. You must know the difference between the two
main methods, the WINDOW method and the CROSSING method.

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- Use Coordinate Systems

Absolute Entry – (X,Y)

Relative Entry - #(X,Y)

Polar Entry (length and angle) – (@L<Xº)

- Use Dynamic Input, direct distance and shortcut menus

- Use Inquiry Commands

Many exam questions require you to follow a set of instructions, and then measure the distance
between two points. You can use inquiry to do so, but also draw a line between the two points and
verify its length in the Properties Palette.

Use Drawing Aids

- Work with Grid and Snap
Status Bar → R-Click on Grid Icon and change settings as necessary.

Edit Entities
- Create Selection Sets

Use the various methods of selection to select objects, Quick Select (QSELECT) and SelectSimilar.
Hold [Shift] to remove an object from a selection set.

- Stretch Objects

Use the CROSSING method to select objects in the STRETCH command. Objects that are fully covered
by the box move, objects that are ‘crossed’ by the box stretch.

- Use Grip Editing

Grip options can vary by object, and by function. Select a grip to make it active (hot). Rest on a grip
to get geometry information, and grip options. Drag grips to extend objects.
- Use Offset and Mirror

OFFSET: Enter the offset distance, select the object to offset and choose a side for the new object.

MIRROR: Select the correct points to define the mirror line.

- Use Trim and Extend

Press Enter twice and select objects to Trim/Extend. Hold [Shift] to perform the opposite action
(Shift in Trim to Extend, and vice versa).

Work with Curves

- Draw and Edit curved Polylines

Use PLINE to draw and PEDIT to edit Polylines. Grip editing can also be used to edit a single section.
Use explode to separate a polyline into segments. Use JOIN and EXPLODE where necessary to
combine and separate polylines.

Control Object Visibility and Appearance

- Alter Layer assignments for objects

Select the object(s), then select the new layer from the Layer Dropdown Menu.

- Change Object Properties

Select the object(s), change the appropriate property in Properties Palette.

- Control Layer Visibility

Layer Isolate (LAYISO) to view just a few layer’s objects. Use Layer Properties Manager and turn
On/Off (lightbulb), or Freeze/Thaw (Sun/Snowflake).

Use Blocks and Xrefs

- Define Blocks

Use the BLOCK command. All blocks must have:

1. A name

2. A designated Base Point

3. Selected Objects.

Use Hatching and Gradients

- Apply Hatch patterns
Use the HATCH command. Pay attention to the parameters specified in the question, e.g. Island
Detection.

Create and Edit Text

- Create text styles

Use STYLE to create and edit text styles.

- Write lines of text

Use all the settings required by the question. Apply settings before creating text.

Dimensioning
- Create and apply Dimension Styles

Use DIMSTYLE to edit style. Use the ribbon dropdown to set current dimension style and access the
dimension tools (dynamic dimensions, linear, aligned, etc).

Layouts and Annotative Objects

- Use the Window Command

Go to PAGESETUP →What to Plot→Window. Use button to choose corner points of window.

- Use Viewports

Use MVIEW or VPORTS to add viewports.

Printing and Plotting

- Set Printing and Plotting Options

Set PAGESETUP options and use the PLOT command if necessary.

Exam Tips

Exam questions are derived from 10-15 different CAD files, only available at the time of the exam.
Questions will refer to a view saved in the drawing file.

To access Views:
- Start the VIEW command (V-Enter)
- Look for the named view (model or paper space) referred to in the question
- Click Set Current and Apply
- Return to the drawing

Keep the Properties Palette open during all questions. Use this to your advantage when finding
numeric answers.

Follow the answer format and enter values with the specified number of significant figures. A
response with ##.## means that the answer will have four significant figures. Leading and trailing
zeros will not affect your answer.

Close each drawing file before moving on to a new question.

Select Mark for questions you are unsure of, and review marked after you have attempted all
questions. This is a timed exam; do not waste time on a question where you are uncertain of the
answer.