LESSON 1 – INTRODUCTION

COMP2 - COMPUTER – AIDED DRAFTING

(NOVEMBER 22, 2018)
What is CAD?
 Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computer
systems (or workstations) to aid in the creation, modification,
analysis, or optimization of a design. CAD software is used to
increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality
of design, and to improve communications through
documentation. CAD output is often in the form of electronic
files.
Why CAD is important?
 CAD is an important industrial art extensively used in
many applications, including automotive, shipbuilding,
and aerospace industries, industrial and architectural
design, prosthetics, and many more. CAD is also widely used
to produce computer animation for special effects in
movies, advertising and technical manuals, often called
DCC digital content creation.
What is CAD software?

 CAD, or computer-aided design and drafting (CADD), is technology for design

and technical documentation, which replaces manual drafting with an automated
process.

 These widely used software programs can help you draft construction
documentation, explore design ideas, visualize concepts through photorealistic
renderings, and simulate how a design performs in the real world.
EXAMPLES OF CAD SOFTWARES:
 Autocad
 turboCAD
 Invetor
 intelliCAD
 Solidworks
 ArchiCAD
 Draftsight
 Revit
 Sketchup
 AllyCAD
 libreCAD
 Archimedes
 Microstation’
 Vector Work Architect
AUTODESK AUTOCAD
 AutoCAD is a commercial computer – aided design (CAD) and drafting software
application. Developed and marketed by Autodesk, AutoCAD was first released in
December 1982 as a desktop app running on microcomputers with internal graphic
controllers. Before AutoCAD was introduced, most commercial CAD programs ran
on mainframe computer or minicomputers, with each CAD operator (user) working at a
separate graphics terminal. Since 2010, AutoCAD was released as a mobile and web app as
well, marketed as AutoCAD 360.

 AutoCAD is used across a wide range of industries, by architects, project managers,

engineers, graphic designers, town planners and many other professionals. It was supported
by 750 training centers worldwide in 1994.
AUTODESK AUTOCAD
 AutoCAD was derived from a program that began in 1977, and then released in
1979 called Interact CAD, also referred to in early Autodesk documents as
MicroCAD, which was written prior to Autodesk's (then Marinchip Software
Partners) formation by Autodesk cofounder Michael Riddle. The first version by
Autodesk was demonstrated at the 1982 Comdex and released that December. As
Autodesk's flagship product, by March 1986 AutoCAD had become the most
ubiquitous CAD program worldwide. The 2019 release marked the 33rd major
release of AutoCAD for Windows. The 2014 release marked the fourth consecutive
year of AutoCAD for Mac.
AUTOCAD 2016
 User Interface
The updated modernized User Interface (UI) in Autodesk AutoCAD 2016 software is
easier to work with and reduces eye strain.
 Start Tab
The Start tab (formerly the New tab) is filled with information and speedy ways for you
to start new drawings or edit existing ones.
Two sliding content frames: CREATE and LEARN
The Create page makes it easy for you to start a new drawing, access recent files, and connect with Autodesk A360.
Here you’ll find various notifications as well as where to download offline Help.
• AutoCAD 360 is an account-based mobile and web application enabling registered users to view, edit, and share AutoCAD files via
mobile device and web[25] using a limited AutoCAD feature set — and using cloud-stored drawing files.
There are two distinct working environments, called "model space"
and "paper space," in which you can work with objects in a drawing.
By default, you start working in a limitless 3D drawing area called model space. You begin
by deciding whether one unit represents one millimeter, one centimeter, one inch, one foot, or
whatever unit is most convenient. You then draw at 1:1 scale.

To prepare your drawing for printing, switch to paper space. Here you can set up
different layouts with title blocks and notes; and on each layout, you create layout viewports
that display different views of model space. In the layout viewports, you scale the model space
views relative to paper space. One unit in paper space represents the actual distance on a sheet
of paper, either in millimeters or inches, depending on how you configure your page setup.

Model space is accessible from the Model tab and paper space is accessible from the layout tabs
STATUS BAR
GALLERIES
LAYOUTS
MODEL SPACE
VIEWPORTS
OBJECT SELECTION
COMMAND PREVIEW
BADGES
MENU BAR
IN LEARNING TO USE A CAD SYSTEM, THE FIRST TWO IMPOTANT
GEOMETRIC ENTITIES ARE:

LINES AND CIRCLES

STARTING UP AUTOCAD 2016

DRAWING UNITS SETUP

DRAWING AREA SETUP

 Setting the Drawing Limits controls the extents of the

display of the grid. It also serves as a visual reference that
marks the working area. It can also be used to prevent
construction outside the grid limits and as a plot option
that defines an area to be plotted/printed.
 LET’S TRY IT!
1. In the Menu Bar select:
[Format] [Drawing Limits]

2. In the command prompt area, the message

“Reset Model Space Limits: Specify lower left corner or [On/Off] <0.00,0.00>:” is displayed. Press
the ENTER key once to accept the default coordinates <0.00,0.00>.
3. In the command prompt area, the message
“Specify upper right corner <12.00,9.00>:” is displayed. Press the ENTER key again to accept
the default coordinates <12.00,9.00>.
4. On your own, move the graphics cursor near the upper-right corner inside the drawing
area and note that the drawing area is unchanged. (The Drawing Limits command is used
to set the drawing area, but the display will not be adjusted until a display command is
used.)
DRAWING LINES WITH THE LINE COMMAND

Ways to draw a line:

 Move the graphics cursor to the first icon in the Draw panel. This icon is the Line icon. Note that a brief
description of the Line command appears next to the cursor.
 By pressing “L” on the keyboard.
 Writing on “line” on the command line.
LET’S TRY IT!
5

Create a freehand sketch of a five-

point star using the Line command. 3 2
Do not be overly concerned with
the actual size or accuracy of your
freehand sketch.

1 4
VISUAL REFERENCE

The method used to create the freehand sketch is known as the interactive method,
where we use the cursor to specify locations on the screen. This method is perhaps the
fastest way to specify locations on the screen. However, it is rather difficult to try to
create a line of a specific length by watching the displayed coordinates.

AutoCAD 2016 provides us with many tools to aid the construction of our designs.
For example, the GRID and SNAP MODE options can be used to get a visual
reference as to the size of objects and learn to restrict the movement of the cursor to
a set increment on the screen.
USING THE ERASE COMMAND

One of the advantages of using a CAD system is the

ability to remove entities without leaving any marks.
THE CAD DATABASE AND THE USER COORDINATE SYSTEM

 Designs and drawings created in a CAD system are usually defined and stored using sets of
points in what is called world space. In most CAD systems, the world space is defined using
a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system.

 AutoCAD, the coordinate system that is used to create entities is called the user
coordinate system (UCS). By default, the user coordinate system is aligned to the
world coordinate system (WCS). The world coordinate system is a coordinate
system used by AutoCAD as the basis for defining all objects and other coordinate systems
defined by the users.
CARTESIAN AND POLAR COORDINATE SYSTEMS

 In a two-dimensional space, a point can be

represented using different coordinate systems.
The point can be located, using a Cartesian
coordinate system, as X and Y units away from the
origin. The same point can also be located using
the polar coordinate system, as r and θ units away
from the origin.
DEFINING POSITIONS
In AutoCAD, there are five methods for specifying the locations of points when we
create planar geometric entities.
Interactive method: Use the cursor to select on the screen.
Absolute coordinates (Format: X,Y): Type the X and Y coordinates to locate
the point on the current coordinate system relative to the origin.
Relative rectangular coordinates (Format: @X,Y): Type the X and Y
coordinates relative to the last point.
Relative polar coordinates (Format: @Distance<angle): Type a distance and
angle relative to the last point.
Direct Distance entry technique: Specify a second point by first moving the
cursor to indicate direction and then entering a distance.
LETS TRY IT!

1. Select the Line command icon in the Draw

toolbar locate the starting point of our design
at the origin of the world coordinate system.
2. Command: _line Specify first point: 0,0 (Type 0,0
and press the [ENTER] key once.)
3. Specify next point or [Undo]: 5.5,0 [ENTER]
4. Create a vertical line by using the relative
rectangular coordinates entry method, relative to
the last point we specified: Specify next point or
[Close/Undo]: @0,2.5 [ENTER]
5. Create the next line by picking the location, world
coordinates (8,2.5), on the screen.
6. Use the relative polar coordinates entry method, relative to
the last point we specified: Specify next point or [Close/Undo]:
@3<90 [ENTER]
7. Using the relative rectangular coordinates entry method to
create the next line, we can imagine a reference coordinate
system aligned at the previous point. Coordinates are
measured along the two reference axes. Specify next point or
next point or [Close/Undo]: @-1.5,1 [ENTER]
8. Move the cursor directly to the left of the last point and
use the direct distance entry technique by entering 6.5
[ENTER].
9. Close the polygon
CREATING CIRCLES

Different options available under the circle submenu:

• Center, Radius: Draws a circle based on a center point and a radius.
• Center, Diameter: Draws a circle based on a center point and a diameter.
• 2 Points: Draws a circle based on two endpoints of the diameter.
• 3 Points: Draws a circle based on three points on the circumference.
• TTR–Tangent,Tangent, Radius: Draws a circle with a specified radius tangent to
two objects.
• TTT–Tangent,Tangent,Tangent: Draws a circle tangent to three objects.
LET’S DO THIS! (All dimensions are in inches.)

#1
#2
#3
#4
 #1

BRING HOME
ACTIVITY:

DRAW THE TOP,

FRONT, RIGHT AND
LEFT SIDE VIEW OF
THE GIVEN FIGURE.
#2