AST 223

Prepared by:

Gilbert B. Dizon
Faculty of the Institute of Technology

1
LEARNING OUTCOMES
After completion of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Understand How to Get Started With AutoCAD.

2. Know How to Start a New Drawing File and Working with Various
Components of a Drawing.
3. Demonstrate How to Change the Color Scheme, the Changing the
Background Color and Working with Workspaces.
4. Figure Out How to Open And Save a Drawing File.

MODULE OVERVIEW
These module 1 will familiarize you to the topics which contains how important
are those lessons in this era of modern technology. You will learned about system
requirements for installing AutoCAD and how to start a new drawing file. You will also
learned about various screen components of AutoCAD, how to change the color
scheme and background color. In addition, you will learned about different workspaces
of AutoCAD and how to create a sheet set. Besides, you will learned how to open and
save drawing files in AutoCAD. Where the invention of AutoCAD, the process of
modelling and designing got digitalized and simplified.
This module has its corresponding self-check test, the content of the topic and
activities to perform.

2
CONTENT

Scan over!

AutoCAD, the product of Autodesk Inc., is one of the biggest technology

providers to engineering, architecture, construction, manufacturing, media, and
entertainment industries. It offers complete 3D design, engineering, and entertainment
software that let you design, visualize, simulate, and publish your ideas before they
are built or created.

AutoCAD (Computer Aided Design) is a software recognized internationally

for its remarkable editing capabilities that make it likely to digitally draw building plans
or recreate 3D images. Before the invention of AutoCAD all designing and modeling
were done manually. It was a time-consuming task and resulted in many costly errors.
However, with the invention of AutoCAD, the process of modelling and designing got
digitalized and simplified.

AutoCAD delivers a comprehensive set of productivity tools/commands that

allow you to create stunning designs, speed up the documentation work, and add
precision to your engineering and architectural drawings.

3
 Figure 1.1 Get Started Section

Figure 1.2 Start Drawing Icon Figure 1.3 +Sign in the Start Tab

Figure 1.4 New Tool in the Quick Access Toolbar Figure 1.5 Select Template Dialog Box

Starting a New Drawing File

• Click on the Start Drawing option/icon in the Get Started section of the initial
screen, see Figure 1.2.
• Click on the +sign, next to the Start tab in the initial screen of AutoCAD to start
a new drawing file with the default template, see Figure 1.3. or
• Besides, click on the New tool in the Quick Access Toolbar, see Figure 1.4.
• The Select template dialog box appears, see Figure 1.5.

4
• In this dialog box, select the acad.-drawing template.
• The acad drawing template is used to start the 2D drawing environment
whereas the acad3D drawing template is used to start the 3D modeling
environment.
• Next, click on the Open button in the dialog box.
• The new drawing gets started with the acad drawing template.
• You can also start a new drawing file without a drawing template either in
metric or imperial unit system by using the Select template dialog box.
• For doing so, click on the down arrow, next to the Open button in the Select
template dialog box, see Figure 1.6.

Figure 1.6 Open Button in the Select Template Dialog Box

Figure 1.7 Screen of the AutoCAD with Various Components

5
 Figure 1.8 Screen of the AutoCAD
Various Components of a New Drawing File
1. Application Menu
2. Quick Access Toolbar
3. Ribbon
4. Command Line window
5. View Cube
6. Navigation Bar and
7. Status Bar.

Figure 1.9 Screen with the Workspace Switch Flyout

6
 Ribbon
You can switch among the Drafting and Annotation, 3D Basics, and 3D
Modeling workspaces by using the Workspace Switching flyout, see Figure 1.9.

Working with Various Components of a Drawing

1. Application Menu
The Application Menu is used to access the commonly used tools to
start, open, save, export, print/publish, and so on a drawing file. To invoke the
Application Menu, click on the Application button (red AutoCAD icon) at the
upper left corner of the screen, see Figure 1.10.

Figure 1.10 Application Menu

2. Quick Access Toolbar

Quick Access Toolbar provided with frequently used tools such as
New, Open, Save, Save As, Plot, and Undo, see Figure 1.10. It is available at
the upper left corner of the screen. In addition to the default tools, you can
customize to add or remove tools in the Quick Access Toolbar.

Figure 1.11 Quick Access Toolbar

7
3. Ribbon
The Ribbon is composed of a series of tabs such as Home, Insert, and
Annotate in which set of similar tools are grouped in different panels, see Figure
1.11. For example, the tools used to create drawing objects are arranged in the
Draw panel and the tools used to modify or edit objects are grouped in the Modify
panel, see Figure 1.11.

Figure 1.11 Ribbon, Panels and Tabs

Note that the availability of tools, panels, and tabs in the Ribbon depends upon
the activated workspace.

Info Center
The Info Center is available at the upper right corner of the AutoCAD
window, see Figure 1.12. It is used to access help document for finding the
information related to a topic. In addition, it provides tools to access the Autodesk
App Store, Sign In to Autodesk account, Autodesk YouTube/Facebook/Twitter
channels, and so on.

Search
The Search field is used to enter a keyword of a topic or command/tool
to find the information related to it in the help document.

Figure 1.12 InfoCenter with Search, Sign In, Help, Autodesk App Store and Stay Connected Area

8
 Figure 1.13 Sign In Area
Sign In
The Sign In area is used to login to the Autodesk account. When you
click on the Sign In area in the Info Center, a flyout appears, see Figure 1.13. In this
flyout, click on the Sign In to Autodesk account tool to login into the Autodesk account.
Note that if you are already logged in, then your name appears in this area.

Autodesk App Store

The Autodesk App Store tool is used to access the Autodesk App
Store web page for downloading the plug-ins and Autodesk applications.
Figure 1.14 Stay Connected Tool
Stay Connected
The Stay Connected tool is used to stay connected with the
Autodesk online community. When you click on Stay Connected in the Info Center, a
flyout appears, see Figure 1.14. This flyout provides various options to stay connected
with Autodesk.

Help Tool
The Help tool is used to access online help document. When you click
on the Help tool in the Info Center, the online help document is opened. If you click on
the down arrow next to the Help tool in the Info Center, a flyout appears, see Figure
1.15. By using the tools in this flyout, you can access the online help document,
download offline help document, and send feedback, get product information, and so
on.

9
Figure 1.15 Help Connected Tool
4. Command Line Window
The Command Line Window is used to enter commands and displays
subsequent command prompt sequence. By default, the Command Line window
displays one line of text (command prompt), which provides the information about
the action to be taken and various options based on the currently active
command/tool. A small horizontal window appears at the bottom of the drawing
area is known as the Command Line window, see Figure 1.16.

Figure 1.16 Command Line Window

Tip: It is recommended for new users to pay attention to the command prompt
as through it AutoCAD communicates with you and inform you about the action to be
taken.
Note: If the display of the Command Line window is turned off or it does not
appears in the drawing area, then press the CTRL + 9 key to display it again in the
drawing area.

5. The View Cube is used to change the view/orientation of a drawing/model.

You can switch between standard and isometric views of a model by using the
View Cube. It primarily used for 3D modeling environment where you can view
the 3D model in different standard and isometric views. It is available at the
upper right corner of the drawing area, see Figures 1.17 and 1.18.

Home
Figure 1.17 View Cube in 2D Modeling
Figure 1.18 View Cube in 3D Modeling
10
 Home
The Home icon of the View Cube is used to bring the current view of
the drawing to the default home position.

Corner
A corner of the View Cube is used to get an isometric view or to rotate
the view freely in all directions. To get an isometric view, click on a corner of the View
Cube and to rotate the view freely in all directions, drag a corner of the View Cube by
pressing and holding the left mouse button.

Compass
The Compass is used to rotate the view. For doing so, press and hold
the left mouse button on the Compass ring and then drag the cursor.

Edge
An edge of the View Cube is used to get an edge-on view or to rotate
the view freely in all directions. To get an edge-on view, click on the edge of the View
Cube and to rotate the view freely in all directions, drag an edge of the View Cube by
pressing and holding the left mouse button.

Face
A face of the View Cube is used to get an orthogonal view such as a
top, front, or right. For example, to get a top view of the drawing/model, click on the
top face of the View Cube.

UCS (User Coordinate System)

When you click on the down arrow available in the UCS option of the View
Cube, the UCS drop-down list appears, see Figure 1.19. By using the options in this
drop-down list, you can select an existing UCS or create a new UCS, see Figure 1.19.
The term UCS stands for User Coordinate System, which is used to define points in
2D and 3D environments. By default, AutoCAD is provided with World Coordinate
System (WCS), which is a global system.

11
 Figure 1.19 World Coordinate System

Note: If the View Cube does not display on the right corner of the drawing area,
then click on the View Cube tool in the Viewport Tools panel of the View tab in the
Ribbon, see Figure 1.20.

Figure 1.20 View Cube Tools

6. Navigation Bar
The Navigation Bar is used to access navigation tools such as Zoom
and Pan. It is available to the right of the drawing area. You can turn on or off the
display of the Navigation Bar by clicking on the Navigation Bar tool in the Viewport
Tools panel of the View tab in the Ribbon, see Figure 1.21.

Figure 1.21 Navigation Bar Tool in the Viewport Tools Panel

12
 7. Status Bar
The Status Bar provides quick access to some of the commonly used
drawing tools, which allow you to toggle settings such as grid, snap, dynamic input
mode, ortho mode, polar tracking, and object snap, see Figure 1.36. In addition to the
default tools in the Status Bar, you can customize to add or remove tools in it, as per
the requirement. To customize the Status Bar, click on the Customization tool in the
Status Bar, see Figure 1.22. The Customization menu appears, see Figure 1.23.

Figure 1.22 Customization Tool in the Status Bar

Figure 1.23 Customization Menu

13
 Model or Paper space
The Model or Paper space tool of the Status Bar is used to toggle
between the Model space and Paper space environments. When you start AutoCAD,
the Model space is the default-activated environment for creating drawings. You can
create drawings in the Model space, whereas the Paper space used for plotting
drawings and generating different drawing views.

Display drawing grid

The Display drawing grid tool of the Status Bar is used to turn on or
off the display of grids in the drawing area. To turn on or off the display of grids, click
on the Display drawing grid tool in the Status Bar or press the F7 key

Snap Mode
The Snap mode tool of the Status Bar is used to turn on or off the
snap mode. You can also press the F9 key to turn it on or off. The snap mode allows
the cursor to move in a fixed incremental distance in the drawing area.

Dynamic Input
The Dynamic Input tool of the Status Bar is used to turn on or off the
Dynamic Input mode. If the Dynamic Input mode is turned on, you can enter inputs
such as commands and coordinates near the cursor tip in the drawing area instead of
entering in the Command Line window. It acts as an alternative method of entering
commands in AutoCAD.

Ortho Mode
The Ortho Mode tool of the Status Bar is used to turn on or off the
Ortho mode. You can also press the F8 key to turn on or off the Ortho mode. When
the Ortho mode is turned on, the movement of the cursor gets restricted to horizontal
and vertical only. As a result, you can only draw the straight lines at right angles.

Polar Tracking
The Polar Tracking tool of the Status Bar is used to turn on or off the
Polar tracking mode. When the Polar tracking mode is activated, the movement of the
cursor gets snapped to the specified increment angle in the drawing area. To specify
the incremental angle value, right-click on the Polar Tracking button in the Status Bar

14
 Isometric Drafting
The Isometric Drafting tool of the Status Bar is used to turn on or off
the Isometric Drafting mode. When the Isometric Drafting mode is turned on, you can
easily create the 2D isometric representation of a 3D model. You can select the
isoplane Left, isoplane Top, or isoplane Right as the current 2D isometric drafting plane
for creating the 2D isometric drawing.

Figure 1.24 Isometric Drafting

Object Snap Tracking

The Object Snap Tracking tool of the Status Bar is used to turn on
or off the Object Snap Tracking mode. The Object Snap Tracking mode works in
conjunction with the Object Snap mode and is used to specify new points aligned to
the existing points or locations in a drawing.

Object Snap
The Object Snap tool of the Status Bar is used to turn on or off the
Object Snap mode. The Object Snap mode is used to snap the cursor over the existing
objects of the drawing such as midpoint, endpoint, and intersection. It is a very useful
method of specifying exact points in the drawing area.
You can also invoke the Drafting Settings dialog box by clicking on the
Object Snap Settings option in the flyout to control the object snap setting,

Figure 1.25 Object Snap

15
 Show annotation objects
The Show annotation objects tool is used to turn on or off the
display of annotative objects in the drawing area.

Annotation scale of the current view

The Annotation scale of the current view flyout is used to select the
annotation scale for the annotative objects in the Model space. To invoke this flyout,
click on the down arrow next to the Annotation scale of the current view button in the
Status Bar.

Workspace Switching
The Workspace Switching flyout is used to switch among the
AutoCAD workspaces: Drafting & Annotation, 3D Basics, and 3D Modeling. To invoke
the Workspace Switching flyout, click on the down arrow next to the Workspace
Switching button in the
Status Bar, see Figure 1.26. Note that the availability of tools in the Ribbon
depends upon the currently active workspace.

Isolate Objects
The Isolate Objects tool is used to isolate objects in the drawing area.
You can isolate an object or a set of objects in the drawing area. To isolate objects,
click on the Isolate Objects tool in the Status Bar, See Figure 1.27.

Figure 1.26 Status Bar in the Workspace Switching

Figure 1.27 Isolate Objects in the Workspace Switching

16
 Clean Screen
The Clean screen tool of the Status Bar is used to expand the drawing
display area by hiding the Ribbon and all the available toolbars except the Command
Line window, Status Bar, and Quick Access Toolbar.

Customization
The Customization tool is used to customize the Status Bar such
that you can add or remove tools in it. To customize the Status Bar, click on the
Customization tool in the Status Bar. The Customization menu appears, which displays
a list of all the tools that can add to the Status Bar.

Starting a New Drawing File by using the Create New Drawing

Dialog Box

Starting a New Drawing file by using a Template

To start a new drawing file by using a standard drawing template, click
on the Use a Template button in the Create New Drawing dialog box. A list of drawing
templates appears in the dialog box, see Figure 1.28. By default, the Acad drawing
template is selected in the dialog box. Note that the selection of default template
depends on the settings specified while installing AutoCAD. Select a required template
in this dialog box to start a new drawing file. Note that a drawing template contains
drawing settings such as units, limits, text height, and scale factor. After selecting a
required drawing template, click on the OK button. The new drawing file gets started.

Figure 1.28 Drawing Templates Appears In the Dialog Box

17
 Changing the Color Scheme
AutoCAD provided with two color schemes: dark color scheme and light
color scheme. The dark color scheme is the default color scheme of AutoCAD. As a
result, the Ribbon, Palettes, and several other interface components of AutoCAD
appear in the dark color scheme, see Figure 1.29. You can change the color scheme
by using the Options dialog box. To invoke the Options dialog box, enter OP in the
Command Line window and then press ENTER. Figure 1.60 shows the Options dialog
box.

Figure 1.29 Dark Color Scheme in the Workspace of the AutoCAD

Figure 1.30 Options Dialog Box in Changing the Color Scheme.

18
 Changing the Background Color
To change the background color of the drawing area/screen, enter OP in the
Command Line window and then press ENTER. The Options dialog box appears. In
the Options dialog box, click on the Display tab. The options related to display settings
of AutoCAD appear in the dialog box. Next, click on the Colors button in the Window
Elements area of the dialog box. The Drawing Window Colors dialog box appears see
Figure 1.31.

Figure 1.31 Drawing Window Colors Dialog Box

Working with Workspaces

A workspace defined as a task-oriented drawing environment in which you can
control or organize the display of sets of user interface elements such as Ribbon,
toolbars, menus, and palettes as per the requirement for accomplishing the tasks.
By default, AutoCAD has three predefined workspaces: Drafting & Annotation, 3D
Basics, and 3D Modeling. When you start a new drawing file in AutoCAD, the Drafting
& Annotation workspace is the default active workspace for creating the drawing. The
Drafting & Annotation workspace display the necessary tools, menus, and palettes
that used for creating and annotating 2D drawings. The 3D Basics and 3D Modeling
workspaces provide necessary tools, menus, and palettes which used for creating 3D
drawings. You can switch between the predefined workspaces and.

19
 Switching between Workspaces
To switch between workspaces, click on the Workspace Switching
button in the Status Bar. The Workspace Switching flyout appears, see Figure 1.62. It
displays a list of all the available workspaces. You can click on the required workspace
in this flyout to make it the currently active workspace for the drawing.

Figure 1.32 Workspace Switching Flyout

Creating a New Workspace

In addition to the predefined workspaces, you can create a new workspace in
which you can customize the arrangement of sets of user interface elements such as
Ribbon, toolbars, menus, and palettes as per the requirement. To create a new
workspace, first of all, customize the arrangement of tools in the Ribbon, toolbars,
menus, and palettes, as required. Next, click on the Workspace Switching button in
the Status Bar. The Workspace Switching flyout appears, see Figure 1.32. In this
flyout, click on the Save Current As option. The Save Workspace window appears, see
Figure 1.33. In this window, enter the name of the workspace and then click on the
Save button. The new workspace is created and added to the list of workspaces in the
Workspace Switching flyout. Also, it becomes the currently active workspace of the
drawing.

Figure 1.33 Save Workspace Window

20
 Opening a Drawing File
To open an existing drawing, click on the Open tool in the Quick Access
Toolbar, see Figure 1.34.

Figure 1.34 Open Tool in the Quick Access Toolbar

To open a drawing as a read-only file, click on the Open tool in the Quick
Access Toolbar to invoke the Select File dialog box. Next, select the drawing to be
opened and then click on the down arrow next to the Open button in the Select File
dialog box. The Open drop-down list appears, see Figure 1.35. In this drop-down list,
select the Open Read-Only option. The selected drawing gets opened as a read-only
file.

Figure 1.35 Open Drop-Down List

Note: When you save the read-only file after making some modifications or
changes, the AutoCAD Message window appears, which inform you that the current
drawing file is write protected. However, you can save the modified read-only file with
a different name by using the Save As tool.

Saving a Drawing File

To save a drawing file, click on the Save tool in the Quick
Access Toolbar, see Figure 1.36. Alternatively, press CTRL + S or
enter SAVE in the Command Line window. Note that if you are
saving a drawing first time then on clicking the Save tool, the Save
Drawing As dialog box appears. In this dialog box, browse to the

21
location where you want to save the drawing file and then enter the name of the
drawing file in the File name field of the dialog box. Next, click on the Save button.
The drawing file gets saved in the specified location of your computer with the
specified name in the .dwg file extension. The .dwg is the file extension of AutoCAD.
You can also save an already saved drawing file with a different name. To save
an already saved drawing file with different name, click on the Save As tool in the Quick
Assess Toolbar, see Figure 1.37. Alternatively, enter SAVEAS in the Command Line
window and then press ENTER. The Save Drawing As dialog box appears. In this
dialog box, enter a new name for the drawing file in the File name field and then click
on the Save button. The drawing file gets saved with the newly specified name without
affecting the original drawing file

Figure 1.36 Save tool in the Quick Figure 1.37 Save As tool in the Quick
Access Toolbar Assess Toolbar

Note: AutoCAD allows you to save your drawing file in previous versions of
AutoCAD. For doing so, select the required version of AutoCAD in the Files of type
drop-down list of the Save Drawing As dialog box, see Figure 1.38 and then click on
the Save button.

Figure 1.38 Save Drawing As Dialog Box

22
LEARNING ACTIVITIES

In order for students to gain and retain the knowledge of the topic which is
about the Introduction to AutoCAD. Self-check test is applied.

ASSIGNMENT #1

Identification.
1. In working with AutoCAD, what keyboard shortcut key used:
A. To toggle the display of grid lines.
______________________
B. To turn the snap mode on or off.
______________________
C. To display the Command Line window in the drawing area.
______________________

2. Two types of Cartesian coordinate system.

______________________
______________________

3. Give At least 10 shortcut keys in AutoCAD

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

23
MODULE SUMMARY

To know more…

Module 1 presents the title of the topic that is Introduction to

AutoCAD. Through the intended learning outcomes, activities, content
and assessment, it helps everyone to transient from face to face to
remote learning.

REFERENCES
Books:

1. Shrock, C.R. (2005). Exercise Workbook for Beginners AutoCAD. New

York: Industrial Press
2. Sammons, T. (2013). AutoCAD Course Book Update.
3. Onstott, S. (2017). AutoCAD 2018 and AutoCAD LT 2018. Canada:
Autodesk
4. Dogra, S. & Willis J. (2017). AutoCAD 2019: A Power Guide for Beginners
and Intermediate Users (4th Ed.). USA: CADArtifex

25