AutoCAD

Student’s Handout
Circle and
Circle is Start Circle is Opposite
Pick Box Square
selected point selected corner are
selected

Opposite Start point

corner

Object Selection Window Crossing

Figure 9. Methods of Selecting Objects

To remove erroneously selected object from the selection, press “U”, then enter.

OBJECT SNAP (OSNAP)

Object Snap (OSNAP) Mode

When the Object Snap mode is turned ON, common needed points of an object can
be automatically selected to create or edit a drawing. The OSNAP mode can be
turned ON and Off by pressing F3 function key or left click (toggle switch) on the
OSNAP icon

Basic Object Snaps

Figure 10. Basic Object Snaps

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Automatic Setting of OSNAP

Step 1. Move cursor to the OSNAP icon on the Status bar, then right click and
select Settings. The Drafting Settings dialog box will be displayed (see
Figure 11).

Step 2. On the Object Snap options, select the needed object snaps and click OK
when done.

Step 3. Turn ON the OSNAP mode using the OSNAP icon or F3 function key.

Figure 11. Drafting Settings – Object Snap Dialog Box

Manual Setting of OSNAP

When prompted to specify the next point, the different object snaps can be manually
selected by keying the first three letters of the object snap followed by the space bar.

Example: end + (space bar) = end of = endpoint

mid + (space bar) = mid of = midpoint
cen + (space bar) = center of = center point
qua + (space bar) = quadrant of = quadrant
per + (space bar) = per to = perpendicular
int + (space bar) = intersection of = intersection
etc.

ZOOM COMMAND

The Zoom command decreases or increases the magnification display of the objects
in the drawing area.

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Command : Zoom (Enter)
Prompt : Specify corner of window, enter a scale factor (nX or nXP), or
[All/Center/Dynamic/Extents/Previous/Scale/Window/Object] <real time>:
Select desired zooming option.

Zoom Toolbar

Command Alias
Icon Command Name Description
(Shortcut)
Z (Enter)
W (Enter)
Zoom Window Pick from the left magnifies the windowed area
corner and box the
area to be magnified

Z (Enter) produces view window which can

Zoom Dynamic D (Enter) be zoomed and panned
Z (Enter)
S (Enter) magnifies the drawing based on
Zoom Scale Input a numeric
desired numeric factor
scale factor. Example:
0.5 (Enter)
Z (Enter) The point selected will be the center
C (Enter) of the display while the
Zoom Center Select center point and
enter a magnification factor.
magnification factor will be the size
of the display.
Z (Enter)
O (Enter) magnifies selected object/s to the
Zoom Object
Select object to magnify extent of the display area

Icon-based command
Zoom In No shortcut increases magnification 100%

Icon-based command
Zoom Out No shortcut decreases magnification 50%
Z (Enter) shows all the drawings in the
Zoom All A (Enter) display area
Z (Enter) shows all the drawings wherein the
Zoom Extents E (Enter) entire display is occupied
Right click on the equivalent of scroll buttons and
Pan Realtime
drawing area and moves the view of the drawing
select Pan, right click without affecting the magnification
to exit when done

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Z (Enter) (Enter)
Or right click on the allows zoom-in and zoom-out by
drawing area and
Zoom Realtime select Zoom, right
holding (“press-hold-drag”) the left
click to exit when mouse button
done
Z (Enter)
Zoom Previous displays previous magnifications
P (Enter)

LAYER COMMAND

Drawings and data can be grouped together and placed on separate layers. It is like
drawing entities of the same group on transparencies. They can be viewed
separately or in combination to show their relationship or complement each other.

For each layer, the object properties such as color, linetype and lineweight may be
assigned using the layer manager dialog box. It can be accessed through the Layer
Properties Manager icon.

Layer Toolbar/ Control Window

Icon Command Name Description

Layer Properties Manager
Turn a layer ON/OFF (toggle
switch)
Freeze/Thaw a layer (toggle
switch)
displays Layer Properties Manager
dialog box
All drawings in an OFF layer will not be
shown on the screen but will remain
active. Such drawings will still be
affected by any editing command.
All drawings in a FROZEN layer will not
be shown on the screen and will not be
affected by any editing command.

All drawings in a LOCKED layer will still

Lock/Unlock a layer (toggle be shown on the screen but will not be
switch) affected by any editing command.

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OBJECT PROPERTIES

The object properties should be assigned first before drawing objects. The layer
where the entity will be drawn can be selected using the layer toolbar/control
window. While the color, linetype and lineweight are selected from the properties
toolbar/control windows.

Object properties can be edited by selecting the objects, then in the control windows,
one can select the new color, linetype and lineweight . Press the escape (Esc) key
when done.

Properties Toolbar/Control Window

Icon Command Name Description

Color sets color of the drawing

sets linetype of the

Linetype
drawing

sets lineweight of the

Lineweight
drawing

TEXT COMMANDS

Before placing text to the drawings, the text properties must be set first. This can be
done by selecting “text style” in the “Format” menu bar. Consequently, the text style
dialog box will be displayed. Assign the desired text properties, then, left click on the
Apply icon when finished.

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Format Menu Text Style Dialog Box

Figure 12. Setting Text Properties

The different text commands are:

1. DTEXT – used to create single line texts

2. MTEXT – used to create multiline texts

3. DDEDIT – used to edit single line or multiline text

DRAW COMMANDS

The Draw commands are used to create 2D geometric objects, shapes or forms.

Draw Toolbar

Command Alias
Icon Command Name Description
(Shortcut)
Line L (Enter) draws straight lines

Construction
XL (Enter) draws infinite lines
Line

draws one or more connected 2D line

Polyline PL (Enter)
or arc segments

draws regular close polygon and the

Polygon POL (Enter)
boundaries are treated as a polyline

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Rectangle REC (Enter) draws rectangular polyline

Arc A (Enter) draws an arc

Circle C (Enter) draws a circle

It draws revision cloud (sequential

arcs). Revision cloud is used to
Revision Cloud REVCLOUD (Enter)
highlight changes made to the
drawings.

draws smooth curve following the

Spline SPL (Enter)
sequence of the given points

Ellipse EL (Enter) draws an ellipse or elliptical arc

draws an elliptical arc using start and

Ellipse Arc EL (Enter)
end angles

Insert Block I (Enter) inserts a saved block file

Make Block B (Enter) creates a block file

Point PO (Enter) draws a point

fills up closed boundaries with hatch

pattern.
Hatch H, BH (Enter)
displays hatch and gradient dialog
box.

fills up closed boundaries with color

gradient pattern
Gradient H (Enter)
displays hatch and gradient dialog
box.

converts objects boundaries into a

Region REG (Enter)
region object

inserts table.
Table TB (Enter)
displays Insert Table dialog box.

Multiline Text MTEXT (Enter) creates a single entity text paragraph

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MODIFY COMMANDS

The Modify commands are used to edit or manipulate the shapes or forms of
drawings created by the Draw commands.

Modify Toolbar

Command Alias
Icon Command Name Description
(Shortcut)
Erase E (Enter) removes objects from a drawing

creates a single or multiple copy of

Copy CO, CP (Enter)
the source object
creates a mirror image of a drawing
Mirror MI (Enter) with reference to established mirror
line

creates a parallel copy of the source

Offset O (Enter)
object at a specified distance
creates multiple copy of the source
Array AR (Enter) object in rectangular of circular
pattern
moves selected object to a specified
Move M (Enter) distance and direction from the
original location
rotates selected object to a new
Rotate RO (Enter) angular orientation with reference to
a specified point
increases or reduces the size of
Scale SC (Enter) selected objects based on specified
scale factor or reference
elongates selected object to a
Stretch S (Enter)
specified direction
cuts object beyond the specified
Trim TR (Enter) cutting edge. The cutting edge is
defined by another object.

Lengthen LEN (Enter) increases the length of a given line

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Break at Point BR (Enter) separates object into two segments

cuts part of an object between two

Break BR (Enter) points or separates object into two
segments

Join J (Enter) connects two or more objects

Chamfer CHA (Enter) creates slanting edge at corners

Fillet F (Enter) creates rounded corner edges

Explode X (Enter) splits polyline and joined entities

DIMENSION COMMANDS

The Dimension commands are used to give the size descriptions of drawings.

Dimension Toolbar

Command Command Alias

Icon Description
Name (Shortcut)
Linear shows horizontal or vertical
DLI, DIMLIN (Enter)
Dimension dimensions
Aligned shows dimensions aligned to a linear
DAL, DIMALI (Enter)
Dimension objects
Arc Length DIMARC (Enter) shows dimensions of arc lengths
Ordinate shows dimensions of x,y or z
DOR, DIMORD (Enter)
Dimension coordinate of specified points
Radius shows dimensions of radius of circles
DRA, DIMRAD (Enter)
Dimension and arcs
Jogged
shows dimensions of radius of circles
Radius DIMJOGGED (Enter)
and arcs in jogged format
Dimension
Diameter shows dimensions of diameter of
DDI, DIMDIA (Enter)
Dimension circles and arcs

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Angular shows dimensions of angular

DAN, DIMANG (Enter)
Dimension orientation of lines, arcs and circles
Quick produces simultaneous linear
QDIM (Enter)
Dimension dimensions of selected linear objects
Baseline DBA, DIMBASE shows dimension from the baseline of
Dimension (Enter) the preceding or selected dimension
produces dimension with reference to
Continue
DCO, DIMCON (Enter) the second extension line of the
Dimension
previous or a selected dimension
produces a leader line with
Quick annotation to show additional
QLEADER (Enter)
Leader information pertaining to a selected
object
Tolerance TOL (Enter) produces geometric tolerances

produces center point symbol of

Center Mark DCE, DIMCEN (Enter)
circles and arcs
edits dimension’s numerical text
Dimension value in terms of content and rotation
DED, DIMEDIT (Enter)
Edit angle as well as the direction of the
extension lines
Dimension moves dimension’s numerical text
DIMTED (Enter)
Text Edit location
Dimension requires an option to update current
D, DIMSTYLE (Enter)
Update dimension style
Dimension
switches from one dimension style to
Style
another
Control
displays Dimension Style Manager to
Dimension create a new dimension style or
D or DIMSTY (Enter)
Style modify an existing dimension style

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