Import a PDF file into AutoCAD
Exercises
A Add a Printer / Plotter
B Metric Conversion Factors
C Dynamic Input
D Command Line Enhancements
E Frequently Asked Questions
Index
Final Notes about AutoCAD®
BeginningAutoCAD®2017
EXERCISE WORKBOOK
Beginning AutoCAD® 2017, Exercise Workbook is designed for classroom instruction or self-study. It is suitable for both Inch and Metric users. There are 30 lessons. Each lesson starts with step-by-step instructions followed by exercises designed for practicing the commands you learned within that lesson.
You may find the order of instruction in this workbook somewhat different from most textbooks. The approach I take is to familiarize you with the drawing commands first. After you are comfortable with the drawing commands, you will be taught to create your own setup drawings. This method is accomplished by supplying you with preset drawings, “inch-helper.dwg” and “metric-helper.dwg.” These drawings are ready for you to open and use. For the first 8 lessons you should not worry about settings, you just draw.
How to get the supplied drawings listed above?
The file “workbook-helper.zip” should be downloaded from our website:
http://new.industrialpress.com/ext/downloads/acad/workbook-helper.zip
Enter the address into your web browser and the download will start automatically. Once the file has been downloaded you can unzip it to extract both drawing files.
Printing
The exercises in the workbook have been designed to be printed on any 8-1/2” × 11” (letter size) or 210mm × 297mm (A4 size) paper. You will be able to print your exercises and view your results as you progress through the lessons. If you would like to configure a large format printer refer to Appendix-A to “Add a Printer / Plotter.”
Cheryl R. Shrock is a retired Professor and Chairperson of Computer Aided Design at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California. She is also an Autodesk® registered author. Cheryl began teaching CAD in 1990. Previous to teaching, she owned and operated a commercial product and machine design business where designs were created and documented using CAD. This workbook is a combination of her teaching skills and her industry experience.
Steve Heather is a former Lecturer of Mechanical Engineering and Computer Aided Design in England, UK. For the past 8 years he has been a Beta Tester for Autodesk®, testing the latest AutoCAD® software. Previous to teaching and for more than 30 years, he worked as a Precision Engineer in the Aerospace and Defense industries.
Steve can be contacted for questions or comments at: [email protected]
AutoCAD® allows you to customize it’s configuration. While you are using this workbook it is necessary for you to make some simple changes to your configuration so our configurations are the same. This will ensure that the commands and exercises work as expected. The following instructions will guide you through those changes.
1. Start AutoCAD®
a. To start AutoCAD, follow the instructions on pages 1-2 through to 1-4. Then return to this page and go to Step 2.
2.
a. Type: options anywhere within the main drawing area then press the <enter> key. (not case sensitive)
b. Type: options on the Command Line then press the <enter> key. (not case sensitive)
The text that you type will appear in the Dynamic Input box or on the Command Line, as shown below:
Note:
AUTOCAD LT USERS:
You may find that some of the settings appear slightly different.
But they are mostly the same.
Configuration Settings
3. Select the Display tab and change the settings on your screen to match the dialog box below.
4. Select the the dialog Open and Save tab and change the settings on your screen to match box below.
5. Select the Plot and Publish tab and change the settings on your screen to match the dialog box below.
6. Select the System tab and change the settings on your screen to match the dialog box below.
7. Select the User Preferences tab and change the settings on your screen to match the dialog box below.
8. After making the setting changes shown below select Apply & Close button.
9. Select the Drafting tab and change the settings on your screen to match the dialog box below.
10. Select the Selection tab and change the settings on your screen to match the dialog box below. (Note: 3D Modeling tab was skipped)
11. Select the Apply button.
12.