Instructions
for Making a Drawing Using AutoCAD
Step # 1: Launch AutoCAD, and set the
units of the new drawing to be either Metric or English units
depending upon your requirement.
Step # 2: Go to FORMAT
àUnits and
set the precision of the units to be 0.00
Step # 3: Go to FORMAT àDarwing Limits , in the
command prompt you will be prompted with a command to select the left corner
(0,0)…Press enter. Then you will be prompted for the right corner…enter the
page size which is follows:
A3 -
297,420 mm or 11,17
in
A4 -
210,297 mm or 8.5,11 in
After you enter the page size in respective units,
then press enter and at the COMMAND prompt write ZOOM ¿,
AutoCAD will prompt you with the various options. Just enter A and press enter.
Now you are ready to start doing your drawing.
Complete the drawing as explained to you in the
class, by using the CONSTRUCTION LINE, TRIM and EXTEND commands.
To draw the center line : First load the center line
type in your pull down menu by clicking on the icon beside the BYLAYER box.
Click the LOAD tab on the dialog box and then select the CENTER line type and
click ok. Now you will see the CENTER line type in your pull down menu. Select
it and if you want you can change the colour too.
NOTE: Before starting the drawing change the line
type to continuous.
CONSTRUCTION LINE : Select the construction line
icon from the DRAW toolbar and enter H in the command window when you are
prompted with the various options. You will get the center line. Press ESC.
To Draw Lines at some known distance by using the
Construction line command: Select the
construction line icon from the DRAW toolbar and then, in the command window
type O, as you want to draw a line at an offset distance. Press ENTER. Now type
the offset distance and press ENTER. Select the reference line from which you
want to draw the line ( The reference line can be vertical or horizontal ),
then click on the side on which you want the line.
TRIM COMMAND : Select the TRIM icon from the
toolbar. You will be prompted to select the objects in the command window.
Using the mouse select the lines which are going to act as the cutting edges. Once the selection is
over, click the right button of your mouse, you will be prompted to select the
lines that are to be trimmed. Now select the lines which you want to remove
from the drawing.
The additional toolbars you need to complete the
drawing: Go to VIEW, and select the toolbars tab from it. Select the DIMENSION,
MODIFY-II, OBJECT SNAP toolbars.
For making a FILLET and CHAMFER, select the appropriate icons from the toolbar and select the two lines where you want to make the fillet or chamfer, and you will get the required shape. You can also enter the required radius or required distance for both of the commands in the COMMAND window.
For HATCHING, select the icon from the toolbar and
you will see a dialogue box in which you have to select the type of hatching
you want to do. Later on, click on the PICK ON POINTS tab and then you will be
prompted to select an inner point of any entity in which you want the hatching.
Click the mouse inside the entity in which you want the hatching, and then
click APPLY tab in the dialogue box. You will get the hatching.
DIMENSIONING:
Before starting the dimensioning, select the
dimension toolbar from the toolbar menu and then select the icon of DIMENSION
STYLE from the toolbar. Click on the geometry tab and change the ORIGIN OFFSET
to a bigger distance if you want to. Click OK. Now click on the FORMAT tab and
then in the TEXT box, select the INSIDE HORIZONTAL, and also select CENTERED in
the VERTICAL justification and click OK. Now click on the ANNOTATION tab and
select the colour you want your dimension text to appear in. Click OK. And then
OK. Change also the colour of the line in your main menu (BYLAYER).
LINEAR DIMENSION: To dimension a linear line, select
the LINEAR DIMENSION icon from the toolbar and then you will be prompted to
select the first point in the command window. Select the SNAP TO INTERSECTION
from the OBJECT SNAP toolbar and then try to get the cursor near the point from
which you want to start your dimensioning, and click the mouse. That point will
be selected. Now you will be prompted to select the second point, follow the
same procedure and then place the dimension wherever you want to on the
drawing.
DIAMETER DIMENSION: This is similar to the linear
dimensioning except that the dimension is prefixed with a diameter sign. Follow
the same procedure as said above to dimension the diameter line. After you
finish this, select the EDIT TEXT icon from the MODIFY II toolbar and click on
the dimension you want to edit. You will get a dialogue box in which you see a
sign like <>. Just get the cursor before this sign and click on the
SYMBOL tab and then select the DIAMETER from it. You will see a sign of %%C.
Now just click OK and you will see a Diameter sign in front of the dimension
you had selected.
TO WRITE ANY TEXT ON THE DRAWING: Just select the
MULTILINE TEXT from the DRAW toolbar and you will be prompted to select the
text area on the screen. Just get the cursor on the screen and define a window
on the screen wherever you want to write the text. When you click the mouse
button you will see a dialogue box in which you can write the text you want to.
Click OK and then you will see your text on the screen.
ZOOM: To zoom the drawing, just write ZOOM in the
command window and write W in the options command and then make a window around
the drawing which you want to ZOOM, the drawing will be zoomed. If you want to
go to your previous scale, just write in the options command P and you will go
to your pervious scale.
PRNITING the Drawing: Select the PRINT option from the file menu and you will see a
dialog box. In that box, select the WINDOW tab from the Addition Parameters box
and you will see another dialog box from which select the PICK tab and then
make a window around the drawing you want to take a print of. Then click OK on
the small dialogue box and when you return to the bigger dialogue box then
select the button beside the FULL option in the PLOT PREVIEW section, and click
on the PREVIEW tab. You will see the preview of the drawing. Now press ESC and
then click OK. You can also select the UNITS, SCALE, PAPER SIZE in the bigger
dialogue box. You can also change the PEN ASSIGNMENTS, i.e. the colour of your
drawing etc. After you are satisfied then click OK and you will get a print
out.
NOTE: Do not try to take a print out of the drawing
after pasting it in MS Word. Take the print out directly from AutoCad.
So, that’s about all the commands you will need to
draw the ME 308 drawing. If you have any further questions, you can see me in
my office or send me an email at samad@kfupm.edu.sa