AutoCad 3D

Lesson 3-1,2,3
Overview of working in 3 dimensions

Isometric drawing / Line types, Line scale

3D Coordinate system | Rotation in 3D

You'll be learning the 3-D concepts in the following order:

Isometric Drawings (not true 3D)

Wire-frame

Surfaces / Regions

Solid Objects

3-D CAD TERMINOLOGY

A concept of displaying real-world objects on a flat surface showing only
2-D
height and width. This system uses only the X and Y axes.
A way of displaying real-world object in a more natural way by adding
3-D
depth to the height and width. This system uses the X Y and Z axes.
Boolean Commands that allow you to add subtract or intersect solid objects in
operations AutoCAD.
Complex Generally a curved surface. Examples: car fender, landscape contour.
surface
The difference between an object being at zero on the Z-axis and the
Elevation
height that it is above zero.
The extrude command raises the shape of a 2D outline into a 3D solid.
Extrude For example, a circle would be extruded into a cylinder.

Face The simplest true 3-D surface.

A three or four sided polygon that represents a piece (or section) of a 3-
Facet
D surface.

Hidden line A way of hiding lines that would not be visible if you were viewing the
removal actual object you have drawn in AutoCAD. (Command: HIDE)

Isometric A simple way of achieving a '3-D' appearance using 2-D drawing

Drawing methods.
Also known as the top view, a plan view looks directly down the WCS Z-
Plan View
axis to the X-Y axis.
A basic solid building block. Examples would be boxes, cones,
Primitive
cylinders.
 Region A 2-D area consisting of lines, arcs, etc.
Rendering Adding photo-realistic qualities to a 3-D model you have created.
A quick way of adding color to a 3-D object you have drawn. (Command:
Shading
SHADE)
Solid A 3-D model creating using solid 'building blocks'. This is the most
Model accurate way of representing real-world objects in CAD.
Surface A 3-D model defined by surfaces. The surface consists of polygons.
Model (See facets.)
A property of lines and other objects that gives them a 3-D like
Thickness
appearance.
The user co-ordinate system. Defined by the person drawing for easier
UCS
access to portions of a 3-D model.
View A particular view of the object you have created.
A window into your drawing showing a particular view. You can have
Viewport several viewports on your screen. Different from the viewports used in
plotting.
Wire- A 3-D shape that is defined by lines and curves. A skeletal
frame representation. Hidden line removal is not possible with this model.
Model
Z-Axis The third axis that defines the depth.

Lesson 3-2

Isometric drawing procedures

3D drawings can be achieved several ways. ISOMETRIC drawing is not actually 3D, but it is a
representation of 3D

ISOMETRIC DRAWING
Using Isometric commands is one of the simplest ways to give a 3-D representation while using only 2-D
commands. This has been the usual way of doing things before CAD allowed true 3-D work to be done.
Many times an isometric drawing is used to compliment a 3 view orthographic drawing. See the sample
below.
You can see that it is a very simple drawing. This basic isometric drawing of the object gives a very good
idea of what it looks like. If this is all that is needed, then isometric works well. Unfortunately, as soon as
you change anything, like the block's height, you'll need to redraw all four views. (not very convenient! )
Nevertheless, AutoCAD has a command called ISOPLANE which allows you to easily draw at a 30
degree angle as needed for an isometric drawing. You can switch between the three 'isoplanes' (top,
right, left) by using this command or by pressing the F5 key.
Command: ISOPLANE <ENTER>
Current isoplane: Right
Practice switching different isoplanes by pressing F5 or
entering the command isoplane
Enter isometric plane setting [Left/Top/Right] <Left>: L <ENTER>
Current isoplane: Top
By invoking this command, AutoCAD is now set to draw on the top isoplane. Your other choices would be
Left or Right. Your first exercise will be to draw the object shown above using isometric methods.
Exercise 1 - ISOMETRIC DRAWING
Begin a new drawing using the acad.dwt template
Create a layer called OBJECT and give it a green color. Make this your current layer.
Type in DDRMODES to bring up the Drawing Aids dialog box. Make your settings the same as what you
see below (just turn on Isometric Snap).
Press OK and then F5 until you get the left isoplane. You'll see that the grid is set up for isometric
drawing for the left isoplane in 1/2" increments. Your crosshairs are now angled to show you which
isoplane you are currently on and the Grid is laid out differently from what you may be used to. The left
isoplane is the front side.
Begin by drawing the left side of the box (shown at the top of the lesson) using the line command. Ignore
the hole at this point. You will want to use the Direct Distance Entry System for this exercise and make
sure that you have Ortho (F8)and Osnaps (F3) turned on.
Switch to your right isoplane (F5) and draw the right side.
Switch to your top isoplane (F5) and draw the top view.
Create the angle lines to add the angled surface.
Switch back to the left isoplane and start the ellipse command. At the command prompt, press I for
isocircle. This will allow you to create an ellipse at the correct angle based on the radius of the circle in
the orthographic drawing. Use the Osnap to pick the correct center point.
Save your drawing in your CAD folder.
To dimension an isometric drawing, you have to do a few things first. Create a text style called Left, and
o o
give it a 30 obliquing angle, then create another called right with a -30 obliquing angle. Tehn create a
new dimension style that has the text aligned with the dimension line.

See below. Click on the arrow in the text tab under annotate,
Then click the new tab and give it the name left.

Then chose oblique angle 30 degrees. Do the same again to create a right text style with -30 degrees
oblique angle. Select the right or left side text style you just created and dimension using aligned option.
To create a new dimension style, type dimstyle at the command line or click the arrow at the the

dimension window and slecect new dimstyle. And call it “ text

aligned”.
Modify the text aligned to chose text aligned with dimension. Also pick the proper precision under primary
units.
Use this “text aligned” dimension style along with “lef”t or “right” text you created to dimension the
isometric.

After you have placed a dimension, use the DIMEDIT command to change the obliquing angle of the
dimension + or - 30 degrees. You may also need to use the properties to change the text in the dimension
to left or right depending upon the orientation of the dimension.
Keep in mind that this is still only 2D. Remember that in some instances, it may be quicker and easier to
use this method rather than the more complex 3-D methods you'll be learning in following lessons.
.Dimension only as below. Do not dimension the isocircle. The drawing should look like this.
If you want to dimension the isocircle you will have to extend a line vertically from the center of the
isocircle to the top edge of the circle. Dimension that line, using the proper dimension style and oblique
angle and then delete the line if you wish.

or
Extra Practice: Copy this drawing using isometric drawing methods.
Extra Practice: Copy this drawing using isometric drawing methods.

When you first start AutoCAD, the default template has only one linetype is available. This is the
continuous linetype. AutoCAD has many more available, but only loads in one to start with in order to
keep the drawing file size smaller. If you need a different linetype, you must load it into your current
drawing. As is usually the case in AutoCAD, there are a few ways to do this.

You can click on the Linetype or lineweight tabs in the home tab as shown below

Or use the commands below

Command Keystroke Menu Result

Linetype LINETYPE / LT Format > Opens the LINETYPE
 Linetype dialog box
Linetype LTSCALE / None Allows you to set the
scale LTS linetype scale globally.

Lineweight LINEWEIGHT Format > Lineweight Set line weight globally

/ LW

Invoking the LINETYPE command brings up the Linetype Manager dialog box as shown below.

It will probably have a few line types. Click on the load tab and select as many of the lyne types as you
want or all of them. Hidden lines are shown in the screen below.

Adding a linetype to your drawing is that easy. Notice that there are three different hidden linetype
options: HIDDEN, HIDDEN2, HIDDENX2. All of these are valid linetypes, but as you can see from the
samples shown in the right side of the dialog box, they are slightly different. Which one you choose is up
to you. Remember one thing though. If you pick HIDDEN2, then you should also pick CENTER2, if you
need a center line. This will keep your linetype scale consistent. Only change your linetype scale singly if
you have a specific reason to.

Here is an example of 3 different linetypes:

LINETYPE SCALE

Your linetype scale determines how the linetype is displayed and plotted. Depending on your linetype or
original area you set up, you may have to change it. This is one more reason, why you should set up your
drawing properly from the beginning. If you need to change your linetype scale, type in LTSCALE and
try different values to get the look you want.

Note: you can change the linetype scale separately on each object, but this is not recommended as it can
be very difficult to keep track of, and therefore lose consistency.

Here is a single linetype (hidden) with 3 different linetype scales applied. Notice that the line with a LTS of
.5 has lines and dashes that are 1/2 the size of line above it. The line with a LTS of 5 has lines and
dashes that are 5 times longer.

You can change the linetype of an object by changing its properties, or use the droplist of layers on the
main drawing screen. This is a simpler, quicker method - just select the object, then pick the linetype from
the list.
Also you can change the line weight from the drop down menu of line weights

Linetypes can also be controlled by putting them all one layer and using the ByLayer option.

LINEWEIGHTS

Another property of lines is their lineweight, or how wide they display on the screen and when printed.
One common example of a heavier lineweight would be a border around a title block. Some times, you
may use a lighter lineweight for hatching. But whatever you use them for, they are powerful display
options.

Here are the range of lineweights available (There are more options in between):

The methods for changing the lineweight for objects is similar to the ones for linetypes (above). There is
also the option of turning the lineweight display on or off. Just doubleclick on the LWT option of the status
bar.
Note: the lineweight icon should be turned on for you to see the line weight.

Notice also, that by right-clicking, you can access the Lineweight Settings Dialog box.

The options are quite straightforward, but you also have the option of displaying lineweights or now
(Display Lineweight) and changing the default display lineweight.

Finally:

It may be easier to change line type and weight from the properties menu. Click on the object(s) you
intend and right mouse click again. The properties menu comes up. You can change the properties there.

Lesson 3-3

Introduction to 3D Coordinate system | Rotation in 3D

THE 3-D CO-ORDINATE SYSTEM

By now you should be very comfortable working your way around the X-Y co-ordinate system. Anyway,
here is a quick review. Looking from the plan (top) view, this is what you see to figure out where is
positive X and positive Y.
If you were to look at the same picture, but at a slight angle, you would see the third axis. This new axis is
called the Z-axis. Imagine that the positive Z-axis is coming towards you out of the monitor.

The Z-axis has always been there, lurking in the background, waiting for you.
When you entered points previously, you would enter them in the format: X,Y. By doing this, you let
AutoCAD know that in these cases, Z was equal to zero. Entering 4,3 would be the same as entering
. Now if you drew a line from the origin (0,0,0) to a point at 4,3,2, you would get a line that
4,3,0

goes 4 inches to the right, 3 inches up and 2 inches towards you. The properties of this line would be this:

Notice that the line is actually 5.3852" long. If you were to look at it from the plan view, it would look
exactly like a line drawn from 0,0 to 4,3 Draw a line from 0,0 to 4,3 and then compare the properties.
The diagrams below, show this line from 4 different views to illustrate how things can look different in 3D.
Look at each one carefully, and see if it makes sense to you.
This is the usual view you
have seen when using
AutoCAD in 2D. You are
looking straight down the Z
axis (positive Z is pointing at
your). It looks like any other
line you have drawn, going
from 0,0 to 4,3 - but there is a
difference...

If you were to look at the line

from the front, instead of the
top (as shown above) you
would be able to notice the
elevation of 2 units in the Z
axis. This is the same line as
above, only viewed from a
different angle. In this view,
you are looking straight down
the -Y axis.
 Just for fun, here is the same
line but viewed from the left.
This would be looking down
the -X axis.

Finally, here is the line as

viewed in 3D space from the
Southeast view. This is
where viewing 3D objects on
a 2D monitor gets tricky. You
need to visualize the Z Axis.

What the above images show you is that you will have to get used to looking at a 3D world on a 2D
monitor. In each image, the black line looks flat, but you have to use your reference points to determine
where it truly is. If you don't understand this perfectly right now, don't worry. It's just an exercise to expose
you to 3D viewing. As the lessons progress, you will get much more familiar to this.
Why is this important to look at before entering the world of 3-D? If you were to only look at a 3-D
model from the plan (top) view, you would not be able to see any difference between the two lines. (Draw
them and see for yourself) On a 3-D model, you can easily have many points over top of each other. This
would be very difficult to work with. You may think you're snapping to a particular endpoint, but the reality
of it could be very different (think of how the top of the wall looks the same as the bottom of the wall if
you're looking straight down it). Fortunately, AutoCAD provides different viewing options for 3-D drafting.
This will be discussed in a later lesson, but for now, if you want to see your 2 lines in a view similar the Z-
Axis image above, go to your menu called View > 3D Views > SW Isometric. You'll see the lines that look
identical in the top view, look very different when viewed from an angle.
Now for the confusing part. You already know how to rotate 2D objects, but you also have to know how
AutoCAD measures angles of rotation in 3-D. There is a somewhat simple rule for this called "The Right
Hand Rule". To figure out which is the positive rotation angle, imagine that you are wrapping your right
hand around the axis with your thumb pointing towards the positive end. The direction that your fingers
are wrapped is the positive direction. This applies to all three axes.

DIRECTION OF POSITIVE ROTATION

The main point of this lesson is to tell you that objects can trick you in 3D space. Shortcuts don't always
work, you have to be careful with Osnaps and your drawing can turn into a mess very quickly if
you're not paying attention. If you want to learn 3D, review each lesson before progressing. Make sure
you know the concepts inside and out. This is just an introduction to the concepts, you will learn more in
the following lessons. You may still want to refer back to this tutorial, though.