Introduction to AutoCAD 2000

Part I

Introduction

This handout is intended to be a quick reference that will help you get started using AutoCAD. It
covers opening and saving files in CAD, setting up a drawing, and using basic CAD drawing
tools.

AutoCAD Interface Components

The AutoCAD interface has several different components, each of which provide different
information or command options for the user. This diagram labels the most vital parts of the
interface:
Menu Bar Standard Toolbar

Object Properties Toolbar

Modify Toolbar

Model Tab

Layout Tabs

Figure 1: AutoCAD Interface Components

Draw Toolbar

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 Introduction to AutoCAD - Part I

Component Name Component Function

Menu Bar Contains text headings that access the main pulldown menus.
Object Properties Toolbar Contains icons that allow you to change the color, layer, and
layer characteristics of objects in a CAD drawing.
Standard Toolbar Contains icons that control many commonly used commands, like
Save, Open, and Plot.
Modify Toolbar Contains icons that let you copy, erase, and modify the position
and shape of objects in a CAD drawing.
Draw Toolbar Contains icons that allow you to draw CAD objects.
Model Tab Displays the drawing you have created.
Layout Tabs Displays the layout of the drawing on paper.
Command Window Displays prompts and allows you to type in commands.

The Model Space tab is the part of the interface in which you will do most of your drawing.

File Handling Tips

To Open a File in AutoCAD:

1. First, start AutoCAD. To do this, click on Start → Programs → Applications → AutoCAD.

• If the Startup dialog box comes up, click on Cancel.

2. Click on File on the Menu Bar at the top of the screen, then click on Open.

3. Select the file you want to open in the dialog box that appears, then click on Open.
Remember that CAD will only open files with extensions .dwg (drawing files), .dxf (files
imported from another software package), and .dwt (drawing template files). Files with the
.dwg extension are the filetype most commonly used in CAD.

4. The file should now load into CAD and come up onscreen.

To Create a New File in AutoCAD:

1. Click on File on the Menu Bar, then click on New.

2. When the Create New Drawing dialog box pops up, select the Quick Setup option under the
'Select a Wizard' heading and click OK.

Note: You can also create a new file from the Startup dialog box by selecting Quick
Setup and clicking OK.

3. Choose the type of units you want the drawing to be measured in by clicking on the button
next to the desired unit type. Unit types are as follows:

Unit Type Characteristics of Unit Type

Architectural Drawing will be measured in feet and inches, with fractions of inches measured
in halves, quarters, eighths, etc.
Engineering Drawing will be measured in feet and inches, with fractions of inches measured
in tenths, hundredths, etc
Fractional Drawing will be measured in numerical units using fractional notation.
Scientific Drawing will be measured in numerical units using scientific notation.
Decimal Drawing will be measured in numerical units using decimal notation.

Try picking each unit type in this dialog box to get a better idea of the differences between
them. When you have selected the unit type you want, click on Next.
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4. Choose the width and length of the rectangular area you want the drawing to cover, and type
those measurements into the blanks under Width and Length in the Quick Setup dialog box.
This will set the Drawing Limits – the coordinates of the lower left and upper right corners of
the drawing. For example, entering 200’ as the width of a drawing and 100’ as its length
(after setting the units to Architectural) produces a drawing with Limits (0’-0”, 0’-0”) and
(200’-0”, 100’-0”).

When you have chosen the width and length you want, click on Finish, and CAD will create a
new drawing file according to your specifications.

Remember:
• If you have set the unit type to Architectural or Engineering, enter the width and length as feet
and inches.
• CAD drawings are set up and measured using a Cartesian coordinate system. The Origin of the
drawing is usually set at the lower left corner of the drawing.

To Save a File in AutoCAD:

1. Click on File on the Menu Bar, then go to Save As.

2. Specify a name for the file, and select where you want the file to be saved.

3. Make sure you are saving the drawing as an AutoCAD 2000 drawing, unless you have a
compelling reason to save it as a different file type.

4. Make sure the drawing name includes the extension .dwg, which is the standard extension
for an AutoCAD drawing file.

5. Click on Save. AutoCAD will now save the file to the location you specified. After you have
saved a file once, you can simply click on File→Save to save it again to the same location as
the previous save. If you want to save the file to a location different from the previous save,
you still need to use the File →Save As command sequence.

Making and Using Backup Files:

AutoCAD makes a backup file when you save a .dwg file to a particular location for the second
time, and updates the backup file any time you save it to that location thereafter. A backup file
has a .bak extension instead of a .dwg extension, but otherwise has the same name as the
drawing file from which it is produced. The purpose of the backup file is to give you an automatic
backup copy of your drawing file, in case the drawing file itself gets corrupted or deleted. If that
happens, the backup file can be converted into a drawing file by completing these steps:

1. Exit AutoCAD.

2. From the Desktop, click on My Computer and find the .bak file you want to convert to a .dwg
file.

3. Click on that file, then go to the Menu Bar and click on Edit→Copy. Next, click on Edit→
Paste. You should now have a second .bak file named Copy of backup_filename.bak.
Making a copy of the backup file and converting the copy into a .dwg file ensures that you’ll
keep an unchanged version of your backup file intact.

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4. Click on the copy of the backup file, then go to the Menu Bar and click on File→Rename.
Give the file a name ending with the extension .dwg. (One possibility would be
converted_backup.dwg). Click on Enter. The renamed file will now function as a .dwg file.

Setting up Your Drawing:

The basic setup procedures for a drawing were covered briefly in the Creating a New File
section of this handout. However, if you wish to modify the initial Setup of your drawing, or to
manipulate your drawing setup in a more precise manner than the Quick Setup wizard allows,
here’s how:

• Adjusting Drawing Units:

Click on Format →Units. This brings up the Drawing Units dialog box, where you can
change the types of units that the drawing uses to measure both linear distances and angles.
To select a type of units for linear distances, highlight a particular type in the 'Types' pulldown
menu under the 'Length' subheading. To select a type of units for angles, highlight the
desired type in the 'Types' pulldown menu under the 'Angle' subheading.

• Adjusting Drawing Limits:

Click on Format→Drawing Limits. This brings up a prompt on the command line for you to
enter the x and y coordinates of the lower left corner of the drawing area. After you have
typed in the coordinates for that corner, CAD will prompt you for the coordinates for the upper
right corner. When you have typed in coordinates for both corners –known as the limits of the
drawing, CAD will re-define the rectangular area of the drawing according to those limits.

Selection Methods and Drawing Aids

Selection Methods:
Many of CAD’s tools require that you select objects for the tools to act upon. CAD allows you to
use several methods to select any given object or group of objects, and each of these methods
functions in a slightly different way.

1. Clicking on an object:
This is the simplest selection method. When prompted to select an object, place the pointer
over the object you want to select and click on the left mouse button. Doing this selects only
the object that the pointer is directly over.

2. Using a Window Selection Box:

One good way to select multiple objects is to draw a Window Selection Box enclosing the
objects you want to select. You can do this by clicking first on the point that you want to be
the top left corner of the window, and then on the point that you want to be the bottom right
corner of the window. This causes CAD to draw a rectangular selection window with solid
sides and to select every object that is completely enclosed by the window. Objects that
intersect one of the sides of the window are not selected.

3. Using a Crossing Selection Box:

Another method for selecting several objects at once is to draw a Crossing Selection Box
that intersects or encloses the objects you want selected. You can draw a Crossing
Selection Box by clicking first on the point that you want to be the top right corner of the box,
and then on the point that you want to be the bottom left corner of the box. (This procedure is
exactly the reverse of the one used to draw a Window Selection Box.) When a Crossing
Selection Box is drawn, CAD selects the objects that are intersected by one of the sides of
the box plus those enclosed by the box.

4. Using a Crossing Selection Polygon:

If you’re having problems enclosing a set of objects within a rectangular selection box without
selecting objects you don’t want, try using a Crossing Selection Polygon. You can trigger
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this selection method by typing cp at the command line when prompted to select objects,
then pressing Enter. CAD then prompts you to select the first Polygon point, and continues
accepting points of the polygon and drawing the resulting selection shape onscreen until you
press Enter. CAD then selects any object enclosed or intersected by the polygon.

5. Using a Selection Fence:

Another method for selecting hard to reach objects is to use a Selection Fence. You can
activate the Fence selection option by typing f at the command line when prompted to select
objects, then pressing Enter. CAD proceeds to prompt you for fence points -- points that
define a continuous series of line segments, forming the Selection Fence. CAD continues to
accept fence points and draw the resulting series of connected line segments until you press
Enter, whereupon it selects any object intersected by a fence segment.

Drawing Aids:
CAD offers certain settings for the drawing environment that are designed to make producing a
drawing easier. These settings are called Drawing Aids.

1. Using Orthographic Mode:

The Orthographic drawing mode constrains the line command, the move command, and
most other commands to operate only at 90 degree angles. Hence, when Orthographic
mode is on, you can only draw horizontal or vertical lines--not diagonal ones. Also, you can
only move objects horizontally or vertically-- not in any other directions. This helps quite a bit
when working on laying out floorplans, elevations, and other drawings in which most of the
lines are either vertical or horizontal. To toggle Orthographic mode on and off, use the F8
key on your keyboard or the ORTHO button at the bottom of the AutoCAD window.

2. Using the Drawing Grid:

Activating the Drawing Grid makes a grid of dots appear in the drawing area, which can be
used to align objects and estimate the distances between them. You can set the spacing of
the Drawing Grid dots by clicking on Tools→Drawing Aids, and then entering whichever X
and Y increments you wish in the Grid section of the Drawing Aids dialog box. The
Drawing Grid will not appear on printouts or plots of the drawing. You can turn the Drawing
Grid on and off using the F7 key or the GRID button at the bottom of the AutoCAD window.

3. Using Snap Mode:

Snap Mode restricts the movement of the pointer to intervals that you have defined. When
Snap Mode is on, the cursor seems to adhere, or “snap” to an invisible grid, which is useful
when you need lines and other objects to start and end at precise points. You can set the
snap intervals by clicking on Tools→Drawing Aids, and then typing in the desired X and Y
spacing in the Snap section of the Drawing Aids dialog box. You can toggle the Snap
Mode on and off using the F9 key or the SNAP button at the bottom of the AutoCAD window.

Drawing Tools

Below is a table of the names of commands commonly used in CAD, the icons used to activate
the commands, and summaries of their functions. Aliases for the commands are given as well.
Command Aliases are shortened forms of command names that can be typed at the command
prompt to activate the commands. Since many of the aliases have only one or two letters, it often
takes less time to type the alias for a command than it takes to find and click on the command’s
icon using a mouse.

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Table of Command Icons, Command Aliases and Command Functions

Command
Icon Alias Function
Name
Draws an arc according to user-
Arc a specified points. Default mode:
Specifying 3 points along arc.
User selects points that define the
perimeter of a space, and then
Area aa
presses Enter. CAD returns area of
space.
Creates a set of copies of a specified
object. Set can be organized in a
Array ar
rectangular or polar coordinate
fashion.
Extends or trims two nonparallel
Chamfer cha lines so that they intersect with a
beveled line.
Draws a circle according to user-
Circle c specified dimensions. Default mode:
Specifying center point and radius.
Makes copy of selected object(s),
Copy co, cp then prompts user for placement of
copy.
User specifies start and end points of
Distance di distance to be measured; CAD
returns the linear distance.
Draws an ellipse according to user-
specified dimensions. Default mode:
Ellipse el specify endpoints of first axis, then
specify half the length of the second
axis.
Erases selected object(s) from
Erase e
drawing.
Extends specifies line to meet a
Extend ex user-selected boundary line or
object.
Connects two specified objects with
an arc of a specified radius, or with a
Fillet f
sharp corner if the radius is set to
zero.
Shades a specified area with a
Hatch bhatch
specified pattern.
Help help Brings up Help Topics dialog box.
Draws a line from one user-selected
Line l
point to another.
Produces a mirror image of a
Mirror mi selected object on the other side of a
user-specified line.
Moves an object along a user-
Move m
specified line.

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Command
Icon Alias Function
Name
Prompts user to specify a rectangle,
places multiple lines of text user then
enters within the sides of that
Mtext t, mt
rectangular area. Text may overflow
the top and/or bottom of rectangular
area.
Brings up dialog box to create a new
New file new
CAD .dwg file.
Creates a new object that is similar
Offset o to the selected object, but separated
from it by a user-specified distance.
Open file open Brings up dialog box to open a file.
Brings up the dialog box for setting
running object snaps. Object snaps
allow the user to locate specific
points on objects without typing in
osnap os coordinates. (See following entries
in table for points that can be located
using osnap.) Osnap settings
specified in this dialog box remain on
until user turns them off.
Osnap to Temporarily snaps to center of
-
center objects like circles & ellipses.
Osnap to Temporarily snaps to closest
-
endpoint endpoint of objects.
Osnap to Temporarily snaps to closest
-
intersection intersection of objects.
Temporarily snaps to the imaginary
Osnap to
intersection of two objects that would
apparent -
intersect if they were extended along
intersection
their natural paths.
Osnap to Temporarily snaps to midpoint of
-
midpoint objects like lines.
Osnap to Temporarily snaps to the closest
-
quadrant quadrant of an arc, circle, or ellipse.
Temporarily snaps to the point on a
Osnap to circle or arc that, when connected to
-
tangent the last point, forms a circle or line
tangent to that object.
Temporarily snaps to point on the
Osnap to
- normal from the selected point to the
perpendicular
selected object.
Allows user to move horizontally and
vertically within the drawing. After
Pan pan clicking on this icon, hold the mouse
button down and drag the mouse to
pan.
Draws a continuous line that passes
Polyline pline through a series of user-specified
points.
Allows user to edit properties of a
Polyline edit pedit
selected polyline.
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Command
Icon Alias Function
Name
Draws a polygon having a specified
number of equal-length sides that is
either inscribed in or circumscribes a
circle with a user-specified center
Polygon polygon and radius.
(user also has option of specifying
the length and location of one edge
instead of giving the dimensions for
a circle.)
Plot plot Brings up plotting dialog box.
Draws a rectangle between user –
Rectangle rec
specified top and bottom corners.

Redo redo Redoes the action just undone.

Rotates a selected object about a
Rotate ro specified point through a specified
angle.
Brings up dialog box to save file – or
Save save just saves it in the last specified
location.
Stretches objects intersected by a
crossing window or crossing polygon
for a user–specified length in a user-
Stretch s specified direction. Moves objects
totally enclosed by a crossing
window or polygon for the same
distance in the same direction.
Prompts the user to select objects to
be used as cutting edges, then to
select objects to be trimmed. If the
objects to be trimmed are intersected
by two cutting edges, then the parts
Trim tr of the objects between those two
edges are deleted. If the objects to
be trimmed are intersected by only
one cutting edge, then the parts of
those objects extending beyond that
cutting edge are deleted.
Undoes the most recent action.
Typing in undo at the command line
Undo oops allows you to specify the number of
actions you want to undo. Default:
one.
Allows user to zoom freely in and
out, using the mouse to control the
Zoom - amount of zoom. ( After clicking on
this icon, hold the mouse button
down and move the mouse to zoom )

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Command
Icon Alias Function
Name
(Note: ‘z<Enter> p< Enter>’ means
that you type in z, then press Enter,
then type p, and press Enter again.
z<Enter> This form of notation is used to
Zoom previous
p<Enter> explain several other zoom options
below.)
Returns to the zoom setting CAD
had prior to the last zoom command.
z<Enter> Zooms out so that all of the drawing
zoom all
a<Enter> area is displayed onscreen.
Brings up a selection box whose size
and position user can adjust. When
z<Enter>
zoom dynamic user presses Enter, CAD zooms into
d<Enter>
the area contained in the selection
box.
Zooms in or out so that all of the
z<Enter>
zoom extents drawing area that contains drawing
e<Enter>
objects is displayed onscreen.
zoom in Zooms in a set amount each time the
-
incrementally icon is clicked.
zoom out Zooms out a set amount each time
-
incrementally the icon is clicked.
Prompts user to select top and
z<Enter> bottom corners of a window -- zooms
zoom window
w<Enter> in to frame the area contained in the
window.

Basic Troubleshooting (Audit and Recover):

The audit and recover commands come in handy when dealing with a file that you suspect may
have become corrupted. If you can open the file:

1. Type audit on the command line or click on File→Drawing Utilities →Audit.

2. This tells CAD to go through the file and look for errors.

3. When CAD displays the question Fix any errors detected? on the command line, type y and
press Enter. This tells CAD to fix any errors it finds.

4. Save your drawing to ensure that you have the corrected version stored.

If a file has errors that audit doesn't correct, or if you’re unable to open the file, try using the
recover command to fix the file. To use the recover command:

1. Click on File→Drawing Utilities→Recover, or type recover on the command line.

2. CAD will then display a Select File dialog box. Select the file you want to recover, then click
on Open.

3. CAD will attempt to correct any errors in the drawing and open the drawing. If CAD finds
errors, it will output information about them on the command line.

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4. After the drawing is successfully recovered and opened, you should save it to ensure that you
have the corrected version stored. If recover fails to open your drawing, it is most likely
corrupted beyond repair.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I cancel a command?

Press the Escape key on your keyboard. That should automatically return you to the
command prompt without executing the function you were in. (Example: if you press the
Offset icon by accident and don’t actually want to offset anything, hitting Escape gets you
out of Offset mode.)

2. How often should I save?

AutoCAD will lock up occasionally, especially when handling large drawings. This makes it
important to save about every 15 minutes, so that you won’t lose a lot of work if you have to
restart CAD.

3. What if I can’t find an icon I want?

If you can’t find an icon that you want to use, you can look through other toolbars for that icon
by clicking on View→Toolbars, which brings up the Toolbars dialog box. Within that dialog
box, place an X in the box next to the toolbars that you’d like to see. CAD will then bring
those toolbars up onscreen. If you want to keep a given toolbar onscreen, simply click on it,
hold the mouse button down, and drag it to one side of the CAD window, where it will ‘dock’
itself and become a part of your CAD display. To remove a toolbar from your display, bring
up the Toolbars window again, and turn off the X’s in the boxes next to those toolbars you
want to disappear. CAD will then remove them from your screen.

For More Help

If you need more assistance while working with AutoCAD, please feel free to ask any of OAL
Support Staff or call Help Desk Central at (979) 845-8300.

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