AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies

David Byrnes, Lee Ambrosius

John Wiley & Sons, Aug 7, 2006 - Computers - 816 pages

AutoCAD is the leading software tool for creating technical and architectural drawings, but it definitely doesn't lead in the "easy to master" category. That's why there's AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies—the perfect way to break a complex topic into bite-size, easy-to-understand pieces.

Once you get the hang of using AutoCAD and its slightly less feature-rich cousin, AutoCAD LT, you discover that it offers wonderful advantages. AutoCAD allows you to

• Create precision to 14 significant digits
• Re-use portions of your drawings by copying and pasting
• Draw things full size and print your drawings in any scale
• Produce drawings that are easier to read when reduced
• Electronically share and distribute drawings
• Design in 2D or 3D

So obviously, the trick is to speed up that "getting the hang of it" process. That's where AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies comes in especially handy. Ten easy-to-follow minibooks cover every aspect of AutoCAD, including the latest features of AutoCAD 2007, so you can find just what you need to know quickly and easily. You'll get the scoop on

• AutoCAD basics, such as setting up drawings, finding your way around the interface, and using all the tools
• Drawing and modifying objects in 2D and annotating your drawings
• 3D modeling and viewing, working with solids and surfaces, and rendering
• Understanding how AutoCAD LT differs from AutoCAD and deciding which program you need
• Advanced drafting skills, including organizing drawings, working with blocks, and using AutoCAD utilities
• Setting up your drawings for plotting to paper and publishing
• Sharing your drawings online for collaboration
• Customizing and programming AutoCAD to make it work the way you want it to

In the familiar, friendly For Dummies fashion, AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies gives you plain-English explanations and step-by-step directions. Written by a pair of AutoDesk Authorized Authors, this handy guide will help make your relationship with AutoCAD a happy and productive one.

Contents

• Introduction: 1
• Advanced Drafting 347: 3
• AutoCAD Basics 7: 9
• Navigating the AutoCAD Interface: 15
• Running AutoCAD Commands: 30
• All about Files: 35
• Basic Tools: 55
• Setting Up Drawings: 67
• Precision Tools: 93
• 2D Drafting: 115
• Complex Objects and Shapes: 137
• Modifying Objects: 143
• Managing Views: 171
• Pan in a Flash: 178
• Annotating Drawings: 185
• Dimensioning: 213
• Hatching Your Drawings: 241
• Extending AutoCAD LT: 261
• Mixed Environments: 269
• 3D Modeling: 275
• 253: 276
• Elevation going up: 283
• Viewing in 3D: 297
• Moving from 2D to 3D: 307
• Working with Solids: 321
• Rendering Lights Cameras AutoCAD: 337
• Playing with Blocks: 349
• Exporting a block definition: 358
• Dynamic Blocks: 365
• External References: 381
• Raster Images: 392
• Clipping a DWF underlay: 399
• Organizing Your Drawings: 405
• Publishing Drawings: 427
• Sheet Sets without Regret: 449
• Sheet set and sheet properties: 465
• Adding resource drawings: 472
• Print Plot Publish: 477
• Collaboration: 497
• CAD Standards: 509
• Working with Drawing Files: 527
• Protecting Your Drawings: 535
• Sharing Electronic Files: 547
• Emulating Paper Digitally: 556
• Customizing AutoCAD: 567
• Customizing the Interface: 587
• Window elements: 595
• Customizing the Tools: 607
• Delving Deeper into Customization: 629
• Getting Familiar with Shapes: 638
• Installing Express Tools: 644
• Programming AutoCAD: 651
• Using Custom Programs: 663
• Introducing AutoLISP: 681
• Creating a Basic Program: 687
• More Than Just the Essentials of AutoLISP: 694
• Visual Basic for AutoCAD: 719
• Index: 741
• 329: 742
• 337: 763
• 349: 773

About the author

Lee Ambrosius owns HyperPics, LLC, an AutoCAD consulting company.

David Byrnes teaches CAD and 3D modeling at Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design and British Columbia Institute of Technology. Both are AutoDesk Authorized Authors.

Bibliographic information

• Title: AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies; --For dummies; For Dummies Computers Series
• Authors: David Byrnes, Lee Ambrosius
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2006
• ISBN: 0471752606, 9780471752608
• Length: 816 pages
• Subjects: Computers / Design, Graphics & Media / CAD-CAM; Computers / Desktop Applications / General; Computers / Software Development & Engineering / General