ATTDISP

Function: Globally controls visibility of block attributes in a drawing View menu: Display Attribute Display Command entry: attdisp (or 'attdisp for transparent use) Enter attribute visibility setting [Normal/ON/OFF] <current>: The drawing is regenerated after one changes the visibility unless REGENAUTO, which controls automatic regeneration, is off.

The current visibility of attributes is stored in the ATTMODE system variable. Normal Retains the current visibility of each attribute. Visible attributes are displayed. Invisible attributes are not displayed. On Makes all attributes visible. Off Makes all attributes invisible.

AutoCAD 2007 provides three basic methods for creating surfaces the 2D Solid, 3D Face and Region commands. The three commands were developed parallel to the historical development of the different types of computer modellers.
2D Solid: The first generation surface command available in AutoCAD. Used

mostly to fill an area in the sketch plane of the current UCS. This type of surface is not a true 3D surface.
3D Face: Creates a true 3D planar surface (allowing X, Y and Z coordinates) of

three-sided or four-sided shape. This is the type of surface developed primarily for creating faceted surface models.
Region: Creates a 2D surface of arbitrary shape from existing 2D entities. This

command creates the most flexible and the most complicated type of surface available in AutoCAD. This command was developed to allow manipulation of 2D surfaces using one of the solid modeling construction techniques, namely, the Constructive Solid Geometry method.

3D Interface
AutoCADs 3D Interface consists of three main areas The dashboard Anchored palettes A 3D workspace

3D Dashboard
The dashboard consists of a set of control panels organized by function. For example, the top control panel contains commands that create and modify 3D solids; the second control panel contains commands and

controls used to navigate 3D models.

Click on any one of the panels to expand the display to show a slide-out panel that has

additional controls.

3D Viewports

Working with a 3D model has many advantages over 2D representations, including: Ease of visualising from any view point.

Ease of creating 2D draughting views. Creation of photo-realistic images, animations and virtual reality presentations. Use of geometry for computational analysis, e.g. FEA. Use of geometry for CNC manufacturing processes. 3D CAD offers tools to work not only on a plane, along the x and y axes as with 2D CAD, but also in 3D space along the z axis, giving depth to the drawing. The three primary types of 3D modelling are :

Wireframe Surface Solid

Specifying and using coordinate systems in 3D space. The WCS:

When one uses the snap tool, the pointer jumps around on an invisible

grid system, enabling you to quickly place the pointer precisely on points of that grid.

The snap grid system lies on a flat surface defined in space by the

current coordinate system.

The primary coordinate system used to define this plane is called the

World Coordinate System, or WCS, and its x and y axes define the plane itself. The WCS is the absolute reference AutoCAD coordinate system

The UCS: One can define own coordinate systems, make them current and use them as aids to editing geometry, etc. These types of coordinate systems are called User Coordinate Systems, or UCSs.

Wireframes
A wireframe model is a skeletal

description of a 3D object. There are no surfaces in a wireframe model; it consists only of points, lines, and curves that describe the edges of the object. One can create wireframe models by positioning 2D objects anywhere in 3D space. AutoCAD also provides some 3D wireframe objects, such as 3D polylines (that can only have a CONTINUOUS linetype) and splines.

Surfacing in 3D.

Surfaces, mathematically speaking, have no thickness. They do however have two sides (or faces) and they have edges (or boundaries). They can be shaded and can be used to provide good visual representations of solid objects. Surface modeling is more sophisticated than wireframe modeling in that it defines not only the edges of a 3D object, but also its surfaces.

Solid modelling.

Solid modelling provides the same display information as surface and wireframe modelling. It also offers the advantage of representing the entire volume of the design. The model can therefore be analysed for volume related properties such as mass, moments of inertia, center of gravity, and the model data can be used for 3D CNC machine programming and 3D FEA. (Investigate what FEA is, perhaps using the internet.) Primitive solids. Composite solids. Extruded and revolved solids.

Visual Styles
A visual style is a collection of settings that control the display of edges and shading in the viewport. 1. Open a drawing with 3D objects and display in a 3D view. 2. Choose View, Visual Styles and one of the following style options.

2D Wireframe 3D Wireframe 3D Hidden Realistic Conceptual

3D Faces
3DFACE creates a three or four sided surface anywhere in 3D

space. One can specify different Z coordinates for each corner point of a 3D face. 3DFACE differs from SOLID, which creates a three- or four-sided surface that is parallel to the current UCS and can be extruded. 1. Type 3DFACE at the command prompt. Command: 3dface First point: pick Second point: pick Third point: pick Fourth point: pick Third point: enter

3D WIREFRAME LINES

3D FACE

3D Move

Command entry: 3dmove Dashboard: 3D Make panel, 3D Move Select objects: Use an object selection method and press ENTER when you finish Specify base point or [Displacement] <Displacement>: Specify a base point or enter d Specify second point or <use first point as displacement>: Specify a point or press ENTER If you are working in a viewport with 2D Wireframe set as the visual style, 3DMOVE temporarily changes the visual style to 3D Wireframe for the duration of the command. The move grip tool is displayed at the specified base point. For more information about using the move grip tool, see Use the Move Grip Tool to Modify Objects. Click an axis handle to constrain the movement to an axis. The two points you specify define a vector that indicates how far the selected objects are to be moved and in what direction. If you press ENTER at the Specify Second Point prompt, the first point is interpreted as a relative X,Y,Z displacement. For example, if you specify 2,3

for the base point and press ENTER at the next prompt, the objects move 2 units in the X direction and 3 units in the Y direction from their current position. Realigning the UCS You can press CTRL+D to turn on the dynamic UCS to realign the grip tool as you move the pointer over faces, line segments, and polyline segments. The grip tool orients the workplane depending on which edge of the face the pointer crosses. You can click to place the grip tool (which will constrain the direction of the move operation). Specified coordinates are relative to this workplane. Pressing CTRL+D again to turn off dynamic UCS before placing the grip tool reverts the grip tools orientation to match the static UCS. Displacement Specify displacement <last value>: Enter coordinates to represent a vector Places the move grip tool at the origin (0,0,0). The coordinate values that you enter specify a relative distance and direction.