Beginning AutoCAD® 2023 Exercise Workbook For Windows®

This best-selling Exercise Workbook is the perfect resource for learning and honing essential AutoCAD skills, whether you are a complete beginner, seeking to improve your 2D drawing skills, or simply interested in learning about the very latest updates.

AutoCAD experts Shrock and Heather share their knowledge of the best use of this versatile program with students and instructors, including plenty of inside tips and numerous exercises to help users get comfortable and see real progress. Readers can download the provided templates used for drawings in the book from Industrial Press’s print or eBook website product pages.

The new AutoCAD 2023 software builds on the features of the previous releases. Design changes include a reinvented icon on the main menus and revisions of the Model and Layout Tabs. A new button in the Count Palette, facilitating creation of a table tallying the elements in your drawing file, along with changes to the Recent Documents List and Floating File Tabs, make it easier than ever to keep track of multiple drawing files.

New and/or Improved Features in Beginning AutoCAD 2023:

• Options Dialog Box — If you make changes in any of the Options dialog box Tabs and attempt to close the dialog box before selecting the Apply and OK buttons, a warning message dialog box will appear. (Included in the Introduction)
• Recent Documents List — You can now remove a file from the Recent Documents List in the Application Menu, making this handy list more applicable to your current AutoCAD projects. (Included in Lesson 1)
• Floating File Tabs — Thanks to continued improvements to the Floating File Tabs, you can Pin a Floating File Tab so that it remains on top of any other open or overlapping drawing file windows. (Included in Lesson 2)

Cheryl Shrock is a retired Professor and Chairperson of Computer Aided Design at Orange Coast College in California. She developed the world-reknowned AutoCAD^® Exercise Workbooks for classroom and self-study use as a result of both her teaching skills and extensive industry experience. An acclaimed AutoCAD expert, she is an Autodesk^® registered author.

Steve Heather is a former Lecturer of Mechanical Engineering and Computer Aided Design in England. For more than a decade, he has been a Beta Tester for Autodesk, testing the latest AutoCAD software. Previous to teaching, and for over 30 years, Heather worked as a Precision Engineer in the aerospace and defense industries. In addition to co-authoring the Beginning and Advanced AutoCAD^® Exercise Workbooks and the AutoCAD^® Pocket Reference, he also is author of AutoCAD^® 3D Modeling and the Engineers Precision Data Pocket Reference and is a key engineering consultant and contributor to the Machinery’s Handbook.

able of Contents

 
Introduction
About this Workbook
About the Authors
Configuring Your System
Customizing Your Wheel Mouse
 
Lesson 1
Starting AutoCAD
AutoCAD Application Window
ToolTip Help
 
Lesson 2
Creating a Template
Using a Template
Selecting a Command
Drawing Lines
Methods for Selecting Objects
Erase
Undo and Redo
Starting a New Drawing
Opening an Existing Drawing File
Opening Multiple Files
Using Floating File Tabs
Saving a Drawing File
Automatic Save
Back Up Files and Recover
Exiting AutoCAD
Exercises for Lesson 2
 
Lesson 3
Circle
Rectangle
Grid and Increment Snap
Layers
Lineweights
Transparency
Creating New Layers
Loading and Selecting Layer Linetypes
Exercises for Lesson 3
 
Lesson 4
Object Snap
Running Object Snap
Zoom
Drawing Setup
Exercises for Lesson 4
 
Lesson 5
Polygon
Ellipse
Donut
Point
More Object Snaps
Exercises for Lesson 5
 
Lesson 6
Break
Trim
Extend
Move
Drag
Nudge
Explode
Exercises for Lesson 6
 
Lesson 7
Copy Multiple Copies
Copy “Array” Option
Mirror
Fillet
Chamfer
Exercises for Lesson 7
 
Lesson 8
Single Line Text
Multiline Text
Tabs, Indents, and Spell Check
Columns
Paragraph and Line Spacing
Editing Text
Exercises for Lesson 8
 
Lesson 9
Coordinate Input
Direct Distance Entry (DDE)
Measure Tools
ID Point
Exercise: Creating a Border
Basic Plotting from Model Space
More Exercises for Lesson 9
 
Lesson 10
Moving the Origin
Displaying the UCS Icon
Exercises for Lesson 10
 
Lesson 11
Polar Coordinate Input
Dynamic Input
Using Dynamic Input and Polar Coordinates
Polar Tracking
Using Polar Tracking and DDE
Polar Snap
Using Polar Tracking and Polar Snap
Exercises for Lesson 11
 
Lesson 12
Offset
Properties Palette
Quick Properties Panel
Offsetgaptype
Exercises for Lesson 12
 
Lesson 13
Array
Exercises for Lesson 13
 
Lesson 14
Scale
Stretch
Rotate
Exercises for Lesson 14
 
Lesson 15
Hatch
Hatch Properties
Hatch Types
Editing Hatch Set Properties
Exercises for Lesson 15
 
Lesson 16
Dimensioning
Linear Dimensioning
Continue Dimensioning
Baseline Dimensioning
Dimension Styles
Ignoring Hatch Objects
Exercises for Lesson 16
 
Lesson 17
Editing Dimension Text Values
Editing the Dimension Position
Modifying an Entire Dimension Style
Overriding a Dimension Style
Editing an Individual Existing Dimension
Dimension Breaks
Jogging a Dimension Line
Adjusting the Distance Between Dimensions
Exercises for Lesson 17
 
Lesson 18
Dimensioning Diameters
Dimensioning Radii
Angular Dimensioning
Center Mark – Automatic
Center Mark – Manual
Centerline
Flip Arrow
Creating a Dimension Sub-Style
Exercises for Lesson 18
 
Lesson 19
Multileader
Creating a Multileader Style
Aligned Dimensioning
Special Text Characters
Prefix and Suffix
Exercises for Lesson 19
 
Lesson 20
Dim Command
Exercises for Lesson 20
 
Lesson 21
Match Properties
Match Layer
Creating a Revision Cloud
Converting an Object to a Revision Cloud
Selecting the Revision Cloud Style
Wipeout
Exercises for Lesson 21
 
Lesson 22
Drawing an Arc
Dimensioning Arc Lengths
Dimensioning a Large Curve
Exercises for Lesson 22
 
Lesson 23
Understanding and Creating Polylines
Exercises for Lesson 23
 
Lesson 24
Editing Polylines
Join Command
Exercises for Lesson 24
 
Lesson 25
Creating New Text Styles
Selecting a Text Style
Deleting a Text Style
Changing the Effects of a Text Style
Divide Command
Measure Command
Exercises for Lesson 25
 
Lesson 26
Serious Business
Model and Layout Options
Model and Layout Tabs
Viewports
How to Reach Into a Viewport
Pan
Locking a Viewport
Creating a Page Setup
Using the Layout
Plotting from a Layout Tab
Annotative Property
Exercises for Lesson 26
 
Lesson 27
Creating Scaled Drawings
Adjusting the Viewport Scale
Annotative Objects
Paper Space Dimensioning
Exercises for Lesson 27
 
Lesson 28
Assigning Multiple Annotative Scales
Removing an Annotative Scale
Annotative Hatch
Exercises for Lesson 28
 
Lesson 29
Blocks
Inserting Blocks
Re-Defining a Block
Count the Number of Blocks in a Drawing
Purge Unwanted and Unused Blocks
Multileader and Blocks
Collect Multileader
Exercises for Lesson 29
 
Lesson 30
Text – Arc Aligned
Text – Modify Text
Text – Convert to MText and Auto Number
Text – Enclose in Object
Draw – Break-Line Symbol
Tools – Command Aliases
Creating a Group
Import a PDF File into AutoCAD
Import a PDF file with SHX fonts
Drawing Compare
Shared Views
Exercises for Lesson 30
 
Appendixes
Add a Printer / Plotter B Dynamic Input
Frequently Asked Questions
 
Index
 
Final Notes about AutoCAD®