Computer Aided Engineering Drawing

Advanced AutoCAD Concepts

Chapter No 5

Sir Syed University of Engineering & TechnologyComputer Engineering Department University Road, Karachi-75300, PAKISTAN

Text Book

Text Book: Mastering AUTOCAD 14

By George Omura

Course Outline is available at CAED course website.

Chapter Outline

Hatch Printing Drawing Dimensioning DIM and DIM1 Layer Block Insert W Block Explode

3D Drawing 3D Mesh 3D Poly 3D Array

VPoint

Hatch Command

The HATCH command is used to cross hatch or pattern-fill an area. Format: HATCH Pattern (? or name/U,style):

Hatch Command

Options ? Lists the standard hatch patterns in

acad.pat. name Name of a hatch pattern. You are prompted

for a scale and an angle for the pattern. U Lets you define a simple pattern on the

fly. You are prompted for an angle, the spacing between the lines, and a

single or double hatch area. style Defines what areas of the selected items

are to be filled with the specified pattern, according to the following codes:

BHATCH

BHATCH -- Boundary Hatch Dialogue Box

With the BHATCH command, you can hatch a region bounded by a closed curve simply by pointing inside it. BHATCH automatically defines a boundary and ignores whole or partial entities that aren't part of the boundary.

Printing / Plotting a Drawing

Default device selection Size and Orientation Scale, Rotation and Origin Advanced Option

DIM

The DIM command enters Dimensioning mode, indicated by the Dim: prompt on the Command Line.

Enter a dimensioning subcommand, listed below, at the Dim prompt. You can abbreviate dimensioning subcommands to the capital letters indicated. Enter a space or at the Dim: prompt to repeat the previous subcommand.

DIM

ALigned Linear dimensioning. ANgular Angular dimensioning. CEnter Draws center mark or center lines. Diameter Diameter dimensioning. HORizontal Linear dimensioning, horizontal

dimension line. RAdius Radius dimensioning. ROtated Linear dimensioning at specified

angle. STAtus Lists dimensioning variables and

their values. VErtical Linear dimensioning, vertical

dimension lines.

LAYER

The LAYER command lets you control which drawing layer you are currently drawing on, and which drawing layers are displayed.

It also controls the color and linetype associated with each drawing layer.

Format: LAYER ?/ Make/ Set/ New/ ON/ OFF/ Color/ Ltype/

Freeze/ Thaw/ LOck/ Unlock:

LAYER

Options ? Wildname Lists layers, with states, colors and

linetypes. Make name Creates a new layer. Set name Sets current layer. New name, name Creates new layers. ON wildname Turns on specified layers. OFF wildname Turns off specified layers. Freeze wildname Completely ignores layers during

regeneration. Thaw wildname "Unfreezes" specified layers. LOck wildname Disallows editing of specified layers. Unlock wildname Allows editing of specified layers.

LAYER

Where "wildname" appears above, the layer name(s) can include "*" and "?" wild cards.

A single "*" selects all existing layers.

LAYER Control Dialogue Box

Both the DDEMODES and DDLMODES commands let you control layers using the Layer Control dialogue box. The Layer Control dialogue box lists the layers in the current drawing, showing their properties. The layer states are indicated by single-letter codes as follows: F Frozen L Locked C Frozen in the current viewport N Frozen by default in new viewports

You can select a layer in the list and change its properties using the following buttons on the right side of the dialogue box:

BLOCK

The BLOCK command lets you name a group of objects that can then be inserted, using INSERT, as a unit anywhere in the current drawing, with specified X and Y scales and rotation. Format: BLOCK Block name (or ?): Enter a name. Insertion base point: Enter a point. Select objects:

If you respond to the "Block name" prompt with ?, AutoCAD lists the names of all Blocks currently defined in this drawing.

DDINSERT

DDINSERT -- Insert Dialogue Box The DDINSERT command inserts a previously defined

Block or an existing drawing file as a Block Definition into your drawing. Format: DDINSERT

When you issue the DDINSERT command, the Insert dialogue box appears.

INSERT

The INSERT command inserts one occurrence of a defined Block into the current drawing at a designated point, applying scale factors and rotation. If the named Block is not defined in the current drawing, but another drawing exists with that name, a Block Definition is first created from the other drawing. Format: INSERT Block name (or ?) <default>: Insertion point: X scale factor <1> / Corner / XYZ: Y scale factor (default = X): Rotation angle <0>:

WBLOCK

The WBLOCK command writes all or part of a drawing out to a disk file. WBLOCK sets the output file's HANDLES system variable to 1, and writes entity handles to the output file.

Format: WBLOCK Filename: (output file name) Block name:

WBLOCK

Block Name Options

name The named Block is written to the disk file. = The named Block is written to the disk

file, but the Block name is the same as the filename.

* The entire drawing is written to disk, except for unreferenced Block Definitions.

(blank) Permits selection of individual objects to be written to disk. Also requests an insertion

base point.

MINSERT

The MINSERT command is used to insert multiple copies of a Block in a rectangular pattern, or array. Format: MINSERT Block name (or ?): Insertion point: X scale factor <1> / Corner / XYZ: Y scale factor (default = X): Rotation angle <0>:

MINSERT shares the prompt sequence above with the INSERT command, and functions in the same manner. Using MINSERT, however, you may not precede the Block name with an asterisk (*).

EXPLODE

The EXPLODE command replaces a Block reference or associative Dimension with copies of the simple entities comprising the Block or Dimension, forms simple Lines and Arcs from Polylines, replaces 3D Polygon meshes with 3D Faces, or Polyface meshes with 3D Faces, Lines and Points.

Format: EXPLODE Select objects Select Block reference,

Polyline, Dimension, or Mesh.

3D Drawing

3D is an AutoLISP application (3d.lsp) that creates various 3D objects, including a box, cone, dome/dish, pyramid, torus, wedge, and a simple 3D mesh.

The 3D command creates each object as a polygon mesh rather than a series of 3D Faces, letting you edit each entity as a single object.

Use the EXPLODE command to turn these objects into a collection of 3D Faces.

Format: 3D Box/Cone/DIsh/DOme/Mesh/Pyramid/Sphere/

Torus/Wedge:

3D MESH

The 3DMESH command lets you define a three-dimensional Polygon mesh by specifying its M and N size, and the location of each vertex in the mesh. Vertices can be specified as 2D or 3D points.

The total number of vertices equals M times N. Format: 3DMESH Mesh M size:Enter a value. Mesh N size: Enter a value. Vertex (M,N):Select a point.

Vertices can be located at any distance relative to one another. After all vertices have been specified, AutoCAD draws the mesh.

3D Poly

The 3DPOLY command creates a general, three dimensional Polyline.

A 3D Polyline consists entirely of straight-line segments connecting the vertices of the Polyline. You can supply 3D (x,y,z) coordinates for any or all of these vertex locations. Arc segments, width, taper, and other attributes of 2D Polylines are not supported. Format: 3DPOLY First point: Select a point. Close/Undo/<Endpoint of line>:

3D Array

3DARRAY is an AutoLISP application (3darray.lsp) that creates three-dimensional rectangular or polar arrays.

When you use the 3DARRAY command, you specify rows, columns, and levels for a rectangular array of objects or an axis for a polar array of objects. Format: 3DARRAY Select objects: Select objects to copy. Rectangular or Polar array (R/P): Enter R or P.

VPOINTS The VPOINT command asks you to select a 3D

viewpoint, and regenerates the drawing as if you were viewing it from that point.

All entities are drawn with the correct elevation and thickness, and projected as you would see them from the specified viewpoint. Format: VPOINT Rotate/<View point> <current X, Y, Z>:

A viewpoint of 0,0,1 returns you to the normal 2D top or plan view. You can also use either VIEW Restore or ZOOM Previous to restore a prior view to the screen.

The VPOINT command doesn't work in paper space.

DDSOLPRM

DDSOLPRM -- AME Primitives Dialogue Box " AME Primitives Dialogue Box" i.e

Advanced Modeling Extension Reference

The DDSOLPRM command allows you to create Box, Sphere, Wedge, Cone, Cylinder, and Torus solid primitives using the AME Primitives dialogue box. Format: DDSOLPRM

DDSOLPRM

Use the Baseplane area to create solid primitives on a plane that is not the current UCS.

Baseplane defines the origin and orientation of the base (XY) plane of the solid primitive. When you select the On radial button in the Baseplane area, the Mode options described below become available.

The base plane remains in effect for the duration of the command.