Invoking Commands In AutoCAD:-
When you start AutoCAD and you are in the drawing area, you need to invoke AutoCAD commands to perform any operation. AutoCAD has provided the following methods to invoke commands:
• Keyboard
• Menu
• Toolbar
• Shortcut menu
• TOOL PALETTES
• Keyboard:-
You can invoke any AutoCAD command at the keyboard by typing the command name at the Command prompt, and then pressing ENTER or the SPACEBAR. If the Command prompt is not displayed as the last line in the command window area, you must cancel the existing command by pressing Esc (escape) on the keyboard. The following example shows how to invoke the LINE command from the keyboard:
Command: LINE or L « (L is command alias)
• Menu:-
You can also select commands from the menu. The menu bar that displays the menu bar titles is at the top of the screen. As you move the cursor over the menu bar, different titles are highlighted. You can choose the desired item by pressing the pick button of your pointing device. Once the item is selected, the corresponding menu is displayed directly under the title. Some of the menu items in the menu display an arrow on the right side, which indicates that the menu item has a cascading menu. You can display the cascading menu by moving the arrow pointer over the item and press the pick button.
• Toolbar:-
In Windows, the toolbar is an easy and convenient way to invoke a command. For example, you can invoke the LINE command by choosing the Line button in the Draw toolbar. When you choose a command from the toolbar, the command prompts are displayed in the command window.
Toolbar has numerous features that help to control their appearance. Toolbar features include:
1: Displaying Toolbars: The various toolbars can be displayed by selecting their respective check boxes in the Toolbars tab of the Customize dialog box. The Customize dialog box can be invoked by selecting Toolbars in the View menu. You can also display a toolbar from the shortcut menu by selecting the name of the toolbar. The shortcut menu can be displayed by right clicking anywhere on any toolbar on the screen.
2: Moving and Reshaping Toolbars
• Shortcut Menu:-
AutoCAD has provided shortcut menus as an easy and convenient way of invoking commands. These menus are context sensitive. They are invoked by right-clicking and displayed at the cursor location.
You can also right-click on the command window to display the shortcut menu. This menu displays the six most recently used commands and some of the window options like Copy and Paste.
You can right-click on the status bar to display the shortcut menu. This menu contains the options to change the settings of drawing tools.
• TOOL PALETTES:-
AutoCAD has provided TOOL PALETTES as an easy and convenient way of placing and sharing hatch patterns and blocks in the current drawing. By default, AutoCAD displays the Tool Palettes as a window on the right of the drawing area. Also, the TOOL PALETTES window can be turned on or off by either choosing the Tool Palettes button available on the Standard toolbar or by pressing the CTRL and 3 keys.
Learning Objectives:-
1: Start AutoCAD and start a drawing in AutoCAD.
2: Understand the various components of the initial AutoCAD screen.
3: Invoke AutoCAD commands from the keyboard,menu,toolbar,shortcut menu,screen menu, and digitizer.
4: Understand the functioning of dialog boxes in AutoCAD.
5: Start a new drawing using the QNEW command and the Startup dialog box.
6: Save the work using various file-saving commands.
7: Close a drawing.
8: Open an existing drawing.
9: Understand the concept of Multiple Document Environment.
10: Quit AutoCAD.
11: Use the various options of AutoCAD’s help.
12: Understand the use of Active Assistance, Learning Assistance, and other interactive help topics.
AutoCAD SCREEN COMPONENT:-
The various components of the initial AutoCAD screen are:
• Drawing Area
• Command Window
• Status Bar
• Status Bar Tray Options
• Drawing Area:-
The drawing area covers the major portion of the screen. Here you can draw the various objects and use the various commands. There is a coordinate system icon at the lower left corner of the drawing area. The window also has the standard Windows buttons such as close, minimize, scroll bar, and so on, that have the same functions as for any other standard window.
• Command Window:-
The command window is present at the bottom of the drawing area and has the Command prompt where you can enter the commands. You can change the size of the window by placing the cursor on the top edge and then dragging it. By default the command window displays only three lines.
• Status Bar:-
The status bar is displayed at the bottom of the screen. This bar contains some useful information and buttons that will make it easy to change the status of some AutoCAD functions. To change the status, you must choose the buttons that toggle between on and off.
The various options under the Status Bar are:
• Coordinate display
• Snap
• Grid
• Ortho
• Polar
• Osnap
• Otrack
• LWT
• Model
• Coordinate display:-
The Coordinates information is displayed in the left corner of the status bar. You can select this coordinate button to toggle between on and off. The COORDS system variable controls the type of display of the coordinates.
• Snap:-
If Snap Mode is on, the Snap button is displayed as pressed in the status bar; otherwise, it is not displayed. This allows you to move the cursor in fixed increments. You can also use the function key F9 as a toggle key to turn Snap off or on.
• Grid:-
If Grid Display is on, grid lines are displayed on the screen. These lines are used as reference lines in a drawing. The function key F7 can be used to turn the grid display on or off.
• Ortho:-
The Ortho Mode allows you to draw lines at right angles only. If this mode is on, the ORTHO button is pressed in the status bar. You can use the F8 key to turn Ortho on or off.
• Polar:-
If you turn the Polar Tracking on, the movement of the cursor is restricted along a path based on the angle set as the polar angle settings. Choosing the POLAR button in the status bar turns the Polar Tracking on. You can also use the function key, F10.
• Osnap:-
When Object Snap is on, you can use the running object snaps to snap on to a point. If Object Snap is on, the OSNAP button is displayed as pressed in the status bar. You can also use the F3 key to turn the Object Snap on or off.
• Otrack:-
Choosing the OTRACK button, turns Object Snap Tracking on or off.
• LWT:-
Choosing this button in the status bar, allows you to turn on or off the display of lineweights in the drawing. If the LWT button is not pressed, the display of Lineweight is turned off.
• Model:-
The Model button is displayed in the status bar when you are working in the model space to create drawings. You can choose this button to shift to the layouts (paper space) where you can create drawing views. Once you switch to layouts, this button is replaced by the PAPER button. You can choose the PAPER button to shift back to the model space.
