Learning AutoCAD Basics (Part 1)

Learn AutoCAD Basics- Photo by AutoCAD 2020© Logo

Introduction to AutoCAD ©

1- AutoCAD Meaning and History in a Glance

AutoCAD© stands for Auto Computer-Aided Drafting.

It was developed and marketed by Autodesk© in the year 1982, as an application running on the DOS operating system and with the microcomputers at this time.

Examples of complicated Mechanical Detailed Drawings; In fact, it is absolutely very difficult to draw it by hand
with the classics tools.

Back in the year 1979, drawing by hands with the traditional drafting tools, was in high demand for mechanical and hardware industries.

People there find the AutoCAD© remarkably useful and adopted it for their works and projects that need a long time to be accomplished regarding the huge details included in each drawing.

(See the figure above for an example of mechanical detailed sheets)

Then later, in the year 1979, the first edition was released under the name of Interact CAD, which then became AutoCAD, the official commercial name of the application.

2- Do the AutoCAD Works by Itself? | The AutoCAD Misconception

The answer to this question is a big NO!...

Before starting, I'd like to bring your attention to a misconception that some people, especially those who don't know much about how the technology works, believe that the AutoCAD© can do the designing job for you!... At least such was the idea of our instructors at the Architecture institute!

Not surprisingly at all, every new invention has its worries and prohibitions.

Anyway, it took us the whole semester to convict them and to remove this fake matter from their minds to allow us to use the AutoCAD© in our last project of graduation...

So, the idea that needs to be enlightened here is that:

The AutoCAD just works for you; it does not do anything on its own.

And this idea is definitely truthful, in the fact that it only follows the instructions given by you and acts accordingly.

3- Where AutoCAD is used?

Many fields of work and professions are using the Autodesk AutoCAD © today!

• Architectural drawings of all kinds.
• Drawings for Electronic, Civil, Mechanical, and other Engineering trades.
• Topographic maps.
• Graphical Art such as Logos-maker.

But the fields of application do not confine within the static images or drawings;

In fact, when used in combination with the other Autodesk© product, the 3ds Max Design©, and other animation engines, AutoCAD forms the basics for making presentations and interactive displays, as well as advertising media and brochures...

4- Saving Time with AutoCAD | How to use AutoCAD | Options in AutoCAD© 

• It let you make updates and corrections easily without redrafting the whole drawing; was in the past, where a correction was provided to a drawing, we were obliged to redraw the entire document and spending precious time finding a way to erase the parts to be modified.
• Clarity and cleanliness of drawings and better presentations without traces and ink marks which are from the past.
• More precise and detailed drawings to reduce cumulated errors exactly for execution drawings production.
• More productively for the contractors' offices is a critical matter ahead regarding their work strategy; the more shop drawings produced the more money to get from the consultant.

5- Commands in AutoCAD | How AutoCAD Works

• AutoCAD provides various sets of Entities for constructing your multiple drawings.

Let's first define the word Entity in the AutoCAD terminology.

An Entity is a Drawing Element in AutoCAD that constitutes only one geometric element each, such as Line, Circle, Text, Rectangle, etc...

AutoCAD User-Interface (UI) showing its main parts

To tell AutoCAD which Entity or Object to draw, you type the command into the Command Line Prompt: for a circle, for example, enter the word ci (shorten for circle) then you specify its parameters (like its diameter, location of its center point, etc...), then the entity will appear on the working area.

Almost all the AutoCAD commands have this same sequel of entering orders:

1- Entering the command_name.

2- You will be shown a list of options to choose from, depending on each command apart.

3- Pressing the Enter button again to exit or re-entering another command.

I will be extracting here, a useful paragraph from where I'd discussed the how-to enter commands within the program in a previous post as the following:

1. Utilizing the Pull-Down Menus In the event that you take the most advantage of the AutoCAD screen, or what we called the model space,  you will notice menus like Draw, Edit, Modify, and so forth, located on the top side.
Interfere with these menus to dispatch AutoCAD commands.
As you become progressively acquainted with AutoCAD you may choose to utilize the toolbars and the Command Line prompt along with aliases to give orders.
However, new users and beginners learn and work quicker with the option of having all their familiar commands stuck inside the drop-down menus. 

Read more: In the meanwhile, you can read the complete article about the 10 Tips and Tricks for New AutoCAD Users working in Companies previously posted on my blog.

• Sometimes entities are formed from multiple other geometric elements that will form a one-unit entity by itself; this is what we called the Blocks, to be discussed in a later post from this AutoCAD Tutorial.

6- The Essential Tools of AutoCAD | What Makes Working with AutoCAD Easier

Follow these tips for better AutoCAD manipulation:

• 6.a- Using the right tool at the right place | Organizing your Work
• 6.b- Getting the Most of AutoCAD | Using the Tools

The most powerful tools in AutoCAD ever are three, to be discussed individually in the upcoming learning courses: (randomly ordered)

1- The Layers
2- The Blocks
3- The Dimensions

Anyway, the power of these tools can be only specified by professionals which makes their tasks easier to achieve all the way...

Besides, we can found other useful drawing aids like the Snap Mode, Grids, and many more...

Books Recommendation

If you want to go further and in-depth with learning AutoCAD the right way, there is no better than refer to the proper tutorial, so you will be set up and running with your program in less time and quickly. You will be surprised by the huge amount of AutoCAD courses out there, but I will refer you to two Titles that are worth it to check it out:

• Mastering AutoCAD 2013 and AutoCAD LT 2013 by Georges Omura and Brian C. Benton
• AutoCAD 2020, 2D-3D by Ahmad Khamiss

Check it out and order your copy today!

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