PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION IN AUTOCAD

Principles of operation in AutoCAD.

In this section, we’re going to able in :
 Explain the principles of operation of AutoCAD
 State the capabilities of AutoCAD
 List the advantages of AutoCAD
 List the other CAD programs

1. Explain the principles of AutoCAD

“Design is important because chaos is so hard” – Jules Feiffer
In the earlier days, design is drafted manually, but design can be drafted by the computer
numerical control CNC machine.
In 1982, John Walker, a computer programmer in the USA revolutionized computer aided
designing by developing a new software called AutoCAD.
- Efficient 2D drafting capabilities.

2. Capabilities of AutoCAD
AutoCAD used by
- Mechanicals
- Interior Designers
- Map Makers

3. Advantages of Using AutoCAD

- Accuracy,
- Speed
- Neatness elegibilty
- Consistency
- Efficiency

4. Other Known CAD programs

- AutoCAD used for 2D modelling
- AutoCAD LT used for faster 2D modeling
- Autocad CIVIL 43 used for floor plan
- Infraworks 360 for floor planning, layout and modelling
- Revit for BIM (Building Information Modelling)
- 3DS Max for 3D Modelling
 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF COMPUTERS

Advantages and Disadvantages of Computer in Design process,

In this section, we will be able to list the advantages and disadvantages of computers in Design
Process.

Advantages of Computer and Design Process

- Possibly to create a very accurate design
- Can be easily edited and changed, whenever required
- Easy to apply new ideas in designing
- Can clearly visualize the complex technical elements
- The design tools are programmed to reduce the percentage of manual error.
- Designing with using a computer saved a lot time
- Easy to share the created design with others

Disadvantages of Computer and Design Process

- Cost of good designing software is high
- The software requires high end hardware specifications to run the software smoothly
- Chance of losing the information if a computer system is corrupted
- Users/operators need to be aware of the software updates
- Proper skills & training are required
 DEMONSTRATE THE LINKS BETWEEN CAD AND CAM

Demonstrate the links between CAD and CAM

In this section, we will be able to :
- Explain the links between CAD and CAM

Computer Aided Design (CAD) used to detailed trade dimensional and two dimensional
drawings of the models that are defined by geometrical parameters. Computer Aided
Manufacturing that is come to control and facilitate the automated manufacturing process.

Links between CAD and CAM

CAD helps programmers to draw and design the product while CAM have the operator to run the
CNC machine. Both of them increase productivity by automatically converting. CAD converts
the designs into instructions for the computer controller on the machine tool (for the CAM).
CAD modified program

CAD helps the programmers to draw and design the product while CAM have the operate to run
the CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine.
 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND INSTALLING PROCEDURE OF AUTOCAD

At the end of this topic, we will be able to :

- List the system requirements of AutoCAD installation
- Install the AutoCAD software

The system requirements for Autocad Installation

- AutoCAD can work well in Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7
- Needing 2 GB RAM to install 32 bits AutoCAD and 4 GB RAM to install 64 AutoCAD
- It needs 4 GB disk place for installation

Installing Procedure for the AutoCAD

- Go to the display link
- Choose the version of the AutoCAD you like to install (for example AutoCAD 2017)
- After downloading the file, open the file and double click on AutoCAD 2017 English
English win 64 bits.exe.
- Select the destination folder, click OK
- The the software extract the file
- Click on the install Tab, read and accept the license agreement and click on next.
- Select the setup programs which you need by clicking the checkbox and then click on
Install.
- The installation will begin, and may take less than 30 minutes
- After the window shows the green tick that those components are installed successfully,
click finish
- When you launch AutoCAD for the first time, you need to license this product.
- In the product activation windows, simply click when the setup asks for serial number
and product key.
- Enter the serial number and product key given by Autodesk during purchase and then
click next
- Mark on the option “I have an activation code from Autodesk
- Enter the product license given by Autodesk
- Click finish
- Now you are ready to use Autocad 2017 software
 MAIN PARTS OF AUTOCAD

Main parts of Autocad

In this section we will be able to:
- Identify the main parts of the screen of AutoCAD

This windows or the workplace consists of three main parts.

- The tools tab
- Drawing Window
- Command Line

- The top of your workplace having tools used to draft you model is The tools tab
a. For example, in the home menu there are some option to draw lines, Circles, and Arcs
easily.
b. There is a ribbon bar which contains tools such as move, rotate, trim, erease, copy,
mirror, fillet, stretch, explode, scale, rectangular array, and offset.
c. When we hold the cursor a bit longer over a tool, we get more information.
d. There is an info center, which is used to find information about a particular tool. It
allows you to type a word and find a list of related resources.

- The Drawing Window icons

e. There is the Status Bar which provides tools for directly drawing and construction
objects.
f. There is a view cube, which is used for setting the view style like top view, front
view, etc.
 g. The user coordinate system icon who simply the UCS icon. you can set the axis for
your drawing by clicking the icon.
h. By clicking the plus symbol, you can add a number of drawing tabs.
i. The bar is on the right of drawing windows called the navigation bar. It contains the
tools needed to pan zoom and rotate.
- Command Line Window, which is present below the drawing window.
j. You can choose a tool either in the tool tab or by typing the tool name in the
command bar. For example a line is drawn by either selecting the line command from
the toolbar or by typing “line” or “L” in the command bar.
 USE THE DIFFERENT INPUT METHODS

Use the differen input methods,

At the end of this topic, we will be able to explain different input methods like keyboard, mouse,
digitaser, and touch screen monitor.

Input Methods in Detail

Input Methods and its varietis
- An input device is a device which allows us to give input to the computer and can modify
and control Data of the computer. There are a variety of input methods

Keyboard
It is one of the important input devices which allows us to provide various types of data to the
computer through its keys. The are some keys which classified as typing keys, numeric keys,
function keys, control keys, and special purpose keys.
Typing Keys
These keys have the combination of letters, digits and symbols. In AutoCAD, the typing keys are
used to enter commands and values. For example, to draw a line in autocad, the line command is
selected by typing L on line in the command bar, followed by pressing enter.
Numeric Keys
Keys from 0 to 9 as say to the numeric keys (On the right of the keyboard). Using this keys we
can provide numeric data to the autocad drawings.
Function Keys
Keys from F1 to F12 as said to be function keys. Every function keys are meaning and is used
for a specific purpose.
F1 = Help window
F2 = Text Windows On/Off
F3 = Osnap On/Off
F4 = 3D Osnap On/Off
F5 = Isoplane Top/Right/Left
F6 = Dynamic UCS On/Off
F7 = Grid displays On/Off
F8 = Ortho On/Off
F9 = Grid Snap On/Off
F10 = Polar Tracking On/Off
F11 = Object Snap Tracking On/Off
F12 = Dynamic Input On/Off
Control Keys
Keys such as up, down, left, and right arrow, insert, delete, home, end, page up/down, Ctrl, Alt,
and Esc are set to be controlled keys. These keys provide causal and screen control to the
AutoCAD drawings. For example pressing CTRL and Page Down changes our sub tab from one
to another.
Special Purpose Keys
Keys such as Enter, Shift, Caps Lock, Num Lock, Spacebar, Tab, and PrtScn are known as
special purpose keys. By pressing a special purpose key like print screen, we can coppy our
current view of the autocad drawing and paste it in paint or any other application. Those using
the keyboard we can do most of the operations

Mouse
It is another input device, which is used to point and position the cursor on the monitor.
Generally, the mouse has two buttons. The left one is used to select objects and texts. And the
right one is used to access the menus. In the middle of this buttons, there is a scroll wheel for
navigation purposes. For example to enlare an image in AutoCAD place your cursor over the
drawing and roll the wheel away from you. Similarly to reduce the image roll the wheel towards
you.

Digitaser
It is an electronic input device that transmits the information to the computer through the
movement of pen type stylus over its sensitized pad. We can use the digitizer in two ways, one as
a pointer to travel throughout the screen. And two as a tracer to trace the drawing which is placed
over the surface of the digitaser. Those by using the digitaser, one can modify the output device
through the stylus movement\
Scanner
It is the most famous input device that directly converts paper drawings into jpeg format. Letter
on using spcialized software like AutoCAD restart design, we can convert the jpeg image into a
general AutoCAD drawing. The main thing that we have to notice here is we can obtain the
output with other systems of major human processes

Touch Screen Monitor

Unlike other devices it acts both as an input and ouput device. By touching its surface through
fingers. We can modify the drawings as we want. For example, we can draw a line in AutoCAD
by picking the line tool and tap once on the screen to indicate the start of the line segment and
then tap a second-time to show the end of the line segment.
 USE THE DIFFERENT CO-ORDINATE SYSTEMS

At the end of this topic we will be able to :

- Use absolute cartesian co-ordinate system
- Use relative cartesian co-ordinate system
- Use absolute polar co-ordinate system
- Use relative polar co-ordinate system

Co-ordinate System
In autocad each and every point is guided by two things known as X-axis, and Y-axis. This axis
are coordinated in a system known as the coordinate system.
A coordinate system is a reference system used to locate the position of points with the help of
reference numbers and angles known as coordinates.