AutoCAD 2011 For Dummies

by David Byrnes

Overview

Design with precision, explore your ideas in 3D, and create spectacular drawings

If you're new to AutoCAD 2011 or just a little rusty, this book will start the wheels turning and keep you rolling in the right direction. It includes practical advice, proven methods, and insider tips to get you up and running quickly. You'll be setting up the AutoCAD environment to create complex technical drawings and realistic 3D models in no time!

• Learn your way around — explore AutoCAD 2011 features as you set up a new drawing
• Slow and steady — understand how the intense detail in setting up a drawing pays off as your work continues
• It's all about the geometry — discover how to draw objects, edit them, and zoom and pan to see them better
• Add the essentials — incorporate text, dimensioning, and hatching to make it easier to build your amazing creation
• Get more advanced — design symbols with changeable text or appearance and apply parametric rules to drawing objects
• Play well with others — explore all the features that enable you to share drawings and data
• Go on a 3D spree — take a trip into the 3D environment as you model in different ways and create spectacular results

Open the book and find:

• Methods for setting up a layout in paper space
• How to manage your properties and control your precision
• Techniques for using your AutoCAD toolkit
• Tips for drawing and editing dimensions
• How to push the Hatch boundary
• 16 steps to follow for plotting success
• Ways to create static and dynamic blocks
• Secrets to 2D and 3D drawing

Learn to:

• Develop basic layouts for technical drawings
• Use blocks, add text, and edit drawings
• Explore 3D models and create your own impressive 3D designs
• Create realistic renderings

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470649701
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	04/13/2010
Series:	For Dummies Books
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	480
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

David Byrnes is a senior civil and structural drafter with a major international engineering company. He taught CAD and 3D modeling at Emily Carr University of Art & Design for 15 years and has contributed to or coauthored more than a dozen AutoCAD books.

Table of Contents

Foreword.

Introduction.

Part I: AutoCAD 101.

Chapter 1: Introducing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT.

Chapter 2: Le Tour de AutoCAD 2011.

Chapter 3: A Lap around the CAD Track.

Chapter 4: Setup for Success.Chapter 5: Planning for Paper.

Part II: Let There Be Lines.

Chapter 6: Manage Your Properties.

Chapter 7: Preciseliness Is Next to CADliness.

Chapter 8: Down the Straightaway.

Chapter 9: Dangerous Curves Ahead.

Chapter 10: Get a Grip on Object Selection.

Chapter 11: Edit for Credit.

Chapter 12: A Zoom with a View.

Part III: If Drawings Could Talk.

Chapter 13: Text with Character.

Chapter 14: Entering New Dimensions.

Chapter 15: Down the Hatch.

Chapter 16: The Plot Thickens.

Part IV: Advancing with AutoCAD.

Chapter 17: The ABCs of Blocks.

Chapter 18: Going Dynamic and External.

Chapter 19: Call the Parametrics!

Chapter 20: Drawing on the Internet.

Part V: On a 3D Spree.

Chapter 21: It's a 3D World After All.

Chapter 22: From Drawings . . . to Models.

Chapter 23: On a Render Bender.

Part VI: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 24: Ten Great AutoCAD Resources.

Chapter 25: Ten Differences between AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT.

Chapter 26: Ten System Variables to Make Your Life Easier.

Index.