Chapter 6
Editing and Reusing Data to Work Efficiently
At least five AutoCAD commands are devoted to duplicating objects—10 if you include the grips options. Why so many? If you’re an experienced drafter, you know that you frequently have to draw the same item several times in many drawings. AutoCAD offers a variety of ways to reuse existing geometry, thereby automating much of the repetitive work usually associated with manual drafting.
In this chapter, as you finish drawing the studio apartment unit, you’ll explore some of the ways to exploit existing files and objects while constructing your drawing. For example, you’ll use existing files as prototypes for new files, eliminating the need to set up layers, scales, and paper sizes for similar drawings. With AutoCAD, you can also duplicate objects in multiple arrays. In Chapter 3, “Setting Up and Using AutoCAD’s Drafting Tools,” you saw how to use the Object Snap (Osnap) overrides on objects to locate points for drawing complex forms. This chapter describes other ways of using lines to aid your drawing.
Because you’ll begin to use the Zoom command more in the exercises in this chapter, you’ll review this command as you go along. You’ll also discover the Pan command—another tool to help you get around in your drawing.
You’re already familiar with many of the commands you’ll use to draw the apartment unit. So, rather than going through every step of the drawing process, the exercises will sometimes ask you to copy the drawing from a figure and, using notes and dimensions as guides, put objects on the indicated layers. If you have trouble remembering a command you’ve already learned, go back and review the appropriate section of the book.
In this chapter, you’ll learn to do the following:
- Create and use templates
- Copy an object multiple times
- Develop your drawing
- Find an exact distance along a curve
- Change the length of objects
- Create a new drawing by using parts from another drawing
Most programs today include what are called templates. A template is a file that is already set up for a specific application. For example, in your word processor, you might want to set up a document with a logo, a return address, and a date so you don’t have to add these elements each time you create a letter. You might also want to create a template for invoices to maintain consistent formatting. You can set up a different template for each type of document to meet its specific needs. That way, you don’t have to spend time reformatting each new document you create.
Similarly, AutoCAD offers templates, which are drawing files that contain custom settings designed for a particular function. You can also create your own templates for your particular style and method of drawing.
If you find that you use a particular drawing setup frequently, you can turn one or more of your typical drawings into a template. For example, you might want to create a set of drawings with the same scale and paper size as an existing drawing. By turning a frequently used drawing into a template, you can save a lot of setup time for subsequent drawings.
Creating a Template
The following exercise guides you through creating and using a template drawing for your studio’s kitchenette. Because the kitchenette will use the same layers, settings, scale, and paper size as the bathroom drawing, you can use the Bath file as a prototype. Follow these steps:
1. Start AutoCAD in the usual way.
2. Choose File Open from the menu bar, or press F-O to open the Select File dialog box.
3. Locate the Bath file you created in the last chapter. You can also use the file 06-bath.dwg, which is included on the companion website for this book, www.sybex.com/go/masteringautocadmac.
4. Click the Erase tool on the Tool Sets palette, choose Modify Erase from the menu bar, or enter E↵; then type ALL↵↵. This erases all the objects that make up the bathroom, but other elements, such as layers, linetypes, and stored blocks, remain in the drawing.
5. Choose File Save As from the menu bar, or type 
-F-S to open the Save Drawing As dialog box. Open the File Format pop-up menu, and select AutoCAD Drawing Template (*.dwt). The file list window changes to display the current template files in the Template folder.
Locating the Template Folder
When you choose the AutoCAD Drawing Template option in the Save Drawing As dialog box, AutoCAD automatically opens the folder containing the template files. The standard AutoCAD installation creates the folder named Template to contain the template files. If you want to place your templates in a different folder, you can change the default template location by using the Application Preferences dialog box (right-click on the drawing area and choose Preferences, or press F-,). Click the Application tab in the sidebar, and in the Files area, double-click to expand Template Settings and then double-click Drawing Template File Location in the list. Double-click the folder name that appears just below Drawing Template File Location; then select a new location from the Browse For Folder dialog box that appears.
6. In the Save As text box, enter the name ARCH8x11H. If you’re a metric user, enter the name A4PLAN.
7. Click Save.
8. At the Enter Template Measurement [English/Metric] <English>: prompt, enter E↵ (English) or M↵ (metric) depending on the unit system you’re using.
9. Enter the following description: ARCHITECTURAL ONE INCH SCALE DRAWING ON 8.5 by 11 INCH MEDIA. Metric users should enter the description ARCHITECTURAL 1 to 10 SCALE DRAWING ON A4 MEDIA.
10. The template file you saved becomes the current file. (Choosing File Save As from the menu bar also makes the saved file current.) This exercise shows that you can edit template files just as you would regular drawing files.
11. Close the template file.
Using a Template
Now let’s see how a template is used. You’ll use the template you just created as the basis for a new drawing you’ll work on in this chapter:
1. Choose File New from the menu bar, or press F-N to open the Select Template dialog box. This is a typical file dialog box that you should be familiar with by now.
2. In the Select Template list box, select the filename Arch8x11h.dwt. Metric users should select the filename A4plan.dwt. Because this file is blank, you won’t see anything in the preview window.
3. Click Open. It may not be obvious, but your new file is set up with the same architectural units and drawing limits as the bathroom drawing. It also contains the Door, Sink, Toilet, and Tub blocks.
4. You need to give your new file a name. Select Save As to open the Save Drawing As dialog box. Enter KITCHEN for the filename, and select the folder in which to save your new Kitchen file.
5. Click Save to create the Kitchen file and close the dialog box.
You’ve created and used your own template file. Later, when you’ve established a comfortable working relationship with AutoCAD, you can create a set of templates that are custom made to your particular needs.
However, if you’re in a hurry, you don’t need to create a template every time you want to reuse settings from another file. You can use an existing file as the basis or prototype for a new file without creating a template. Open the prototype file, and choose Save As to create a new version of the file under a new name. You can then edit the new version without affecting the original prototype file.
Copying an Object Multiple Times
Let’s explore the tools that let you quickly duplicate objects. In this section, you’ll begin to draw parts of a small kitchen. The first exercise introduces the Array command, which you can use to draw the gas burners of a range top.
As you’ll see, an array can be either in a circular pattern, called a polar array, or a matrix of columns and rows, called a rectangular array.
Making Circular Copies
To start the range top, first set the layer on which you want to draw, and then draw a circle representing the edge of one burner:
1. Set the current layer to Fixture by right-clicking on the Fixture layer from the Layers palette and selecting Set Current.
2. Click the Center, Radius Circle tool on the Tool Sets palette. You can also choose Draw Circle Center, Radius from the menu bar, or type C↵.
3. At the Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: prompt, pick a point at coordinate 4´,4´. Metric users should pick a point at coordinate 120,120.
4. At the Specify radius of circle or [Diameter]: prompt, enter 3↵. Metric users should enter 7.6↵. The circle appears.
Now you’re ready to use the Array command to draw the burner grill. You’ll first draw one line representing part of the grill and then use the Array command to create the copies:
1. Zoom into the circle you just drew and then make sure the Snap mode is off by checking the Snap Mode button in the status bar.
2. Draw a 4˝ line starting from the coordinate 4´-1˝,4´-0˝ and ending to the right of that point. Metric users should draw a 9 cm line starting at coordinate 122,120 and ending to the right of that point.
3. Adjust your view so it looks similar to Figure 6-1.
Figure 6-1:A close-up of the circle and line
You’ve got the basic parts needed to create the burner grill. You’re ready to make multiple copies of the line. For this part, you’ll use the Array dialog box.
1. Click the Array tool on the Tool Sets palette. You can also choose Modify Array from the menu bar or type AR↵ to open the Array dialog box (see Figure 6-2).
Figure 6-2:The Array dialog box
2. Click the Select Objects button. The dialog box temporarily closes, enabling you to select objects.
3. Type L↵ to select the last object drawn, or click the object you want to array.
4. Press ↵ to confirm your selection. The Array dialog reopens.
5. Click the Polar Array radio button near the top of the dialog box to tell AutoCAD you want a circular array. The Array dialog box displays the Polar Array options (see Figure 6-3).
6. Click the Pick Center Point button to temporarily close the Array dialog box.
Figure 6-3:The Polar Array options
7. Right-click and select Snap Overrides Center, and then place the cursor on the circle. When you see the circular Osnap marker at the center of the circle, click the mouse. This selects the circle’s exact center for the center of the polar array. After you’ve clicked, the Array dialog box returns.
Remember that to access osnaps other than those set up as Running Osnaps, you right-click and then select Snap Overrides and the osnap you want to use from the resulting menu.
At this point, you’ve selected an object to array, and you’ve indicated the center location of the array. If you’ve selected the wrong object or the wrong center point, you can go back and specify these options again.
Now to complete the process, tell AutoCAD the number of copies in the array and the extent of the array through the circle:
1. In the Array dialog box, enter 8 in the Total Number Of Items text box. This tells AutoCAD to make eight copies including the original.
2. Accept the default of 360 for the Angle To Fill text box. This tells AutoCAD to spread the copies evenly over the full 360 degrees of the circle. Of course, you can enter other values here. For example, if you enter 180, the array will fill half the circle.
You can click the Pick Angle To Fill button to the right of the Angle To Fill text box to graphically select an angle in the drawing. You can also use the circular slider control as shown in Figure 6-4.
Figure 6-4:The circular slider
3. Make sure the Rotate Items As Copied check box in the lower-left corner of the dialog box is selected. This ensures that the arrayed object is rotated about the array center. If you clear this option, the copies will all be oriented in the same direction as the original object.
4. Click the Preview button. AutoCAD shows you the results of your array settings.
5. Right-click to accept the array. The circular array appears in the drawing, as shown in Figure 6-5.
In step 5, you could click to return to the Array dialog box and change settings before committing to a final array pattern. You could also press Esc. The Array dialog box gives you a lot of leeway in creating your array copies.
If you’re a veteran AutoCAD user and you prefer the command-line version of the Array command, you can type -ARRAY↵ or -AR↵ at the Command prompt and then answer the prompts as you would in earlier releases of AutoCAD.
Figure 6-5:The completed gas burner
Making Row and Column Copies
Now you’ll draw the other three burners of the gas range by creating a rectangular array from the burner you just drew. You’ll first zoom back a bit to get a view of a larger area. Then you’ll proceed with the Array command.
Follow these steps to zoom back:
1. Click Zoom from the status bar and then type S↵. You can also choose View Zoom Scale from the menu bar or type Z↵ S↵.
2. Enter 0.5x↵. Your drawing will look like Figure 6-6.
Figure 6-6:The preceding view reduced by a factor of 0.5
If you’re not too fussy about the amount you want to zoom out, you can move the center mouse wheel up or down to reduce your view quickly.
Entering 0.5x for the Zoom Scale factor tells AutoCAD you want a view that reduces the width of the current view to fill half the display area, enabling you to see more of the work area. If you specify a scale value greater than 1 (5, for example), you’ll magnify your current view. If you leave off the x, your new view will be in relation to the drawing limits rather than the current view.
Next you’ll finish the range top. You’ll get a chance to use the Rectangular Array option to create three additional burners:
1. Start the Array command to open the Array dialog box.
2. Click the Select Objects button to close the Array dialog box temporarily.
3. Select the entire burner, including the lines and the circle, and then press ↵ to confirm your selection.
4. In the Array dialog box, click the Rectangular Array radio button.
5. Change both the Rows and Columns text boxes to 2.
6. Change the Row Offset text box value to 1´-2˝ (35.5 for metric users) and the Column Offset text box value to 1´-4˝ (40.6 for metric users). See Figure 6-7.
Figure 6-7:Changes to the Row Offset text box value and the Column Offset text box value
7. Click OK. Your screen will look similar to Figure 6-8.
Figure 6-8:The burners arrayed
AutoCAD usually draws a rectangular array from bottom to top and from left to right. You can reverse the direction of the array by giving negative values for the distance between columns and rows.
At times, you may want to create a rectangular array at an angle. To accomplish this, enter the desired angle in the Angle Of Array text box in the Array dialog box. You can also select the angle graphically by clicking the Pick Angle Of Array button or using the circular slider to the right of the Angle Of Array text box.
If you need to indicate an array cell graphically, you can do so by using options in the Offset Distance And Angle group of the Array dialog box (see the bottom image in Figure 6-9). An array cell is a rectangle defining the distance between rows and columns (see the top image in Figure 6-9). You may want to use this option when objects are available to use as references from which to determine column and row distances. For example, you might draw a crosshatch pattern, as on a calendar, within which you want to array an object. You use the intersections of the hatch lines as references to define the array cell, which is one square in the hatch pattern.
In the Offset Distance And Angle group, the Pick Both Offsets tool lets you indicate the row and column distance by placing an array cell graphically in the drawing, as shown in the bottom image in Figure 6-9. You can also indicate a row or column distance graphically by using the Pick Row Offset button or the Pick Column Offset button to the right of the Pick Both Offsets button. Clicking the circular slider to the right of the offset text boxes allows you to incrementally change the distance up or down.
Figure 6-9:An array cell and the Array dialog box tool that let you graphically indicate array cells
Fine-Tuning Your View
Back in Figure 6-8, you may have noticed that parts of the burners don’t appear on the display. To move the view over so you can see all the burners, use the Pan command. Pan is similar to Zoom in that it changes your view of the drawing. However, Pan doesn’t alter the magnification of the view the way Zoom does. Rather, Pan maintains the current magnification while moving your view across the drawing, just as you would pan a camera across a landscape.
To activate the Pan command, follow these steps:
1. Click Pan from the status bar. You can also choose View Pan Realtime from the menu bar or type P↵ You can also right-click and choose Pan from the shortcut menu or hold down the spacebar while moving the mouse or swiping on the trackpad. A small hand-shaped cursor appears in place of the AutoCAD cursor.
2. Place the hand cursor in the center of the drawing area, and then click and drag it downward and to the left. The view follows the motion of your mouse.
3. Continue to drag the view until it looks similar to Figure 6-10; then release the mouse button.
4. To finish the kitchen, you want a view that shows more of the drawing area. Right-click to open the Zoom/Pan shortcut menu, and then choose Zoom. The cursor changes to the Zoom Realtime cursor. The Zoom/Pan shortcut menu also appears when you right-click during the Zoom Realtime command.
5. Place the cursor close to the top of the screen, and click and drag the cursor downward to zoom out until your view looks like Figure 6-11. You may need to click and drag the Zoom Realtime cursor a second time to achieve this view.
Figure 6-10:The panned view of the range top
Figure 6-11:The final view of the finished kitchen. Metric dimensions are shown in brackets.
6. Right-click again, and choose Exit from the shortcut menu. You’re now ready to add more information to the kitchen drawing.
You can also exit the Pan or Zoom Realtime command without opening the shortcut menu; just press the Esc key.
This exercise showed how you can fine-tune your view by easily switching between Pan and Zoom Realtime. After you get the hang of these two tools working together, you’ll be able to access the best view for your needs quickly. The other options in the shortcut menu—Zoom Window, Zoom Original, and Zoom Extents—perform the same functions as the options in the Zoom flyout (choose View Zoom from the menu bar or in the Status Bar).
The Zoom Window option in the Zoom/Pan shortcut menu functions in a slightly different way from the standard Zoom Window option. Instead of clicking two points, you click and drag a window across your view.
Finishing the Kitchenette
Before you save and close the Kitchen file, you need to do one more thing. You’ll be using this drawing as a symbol and inserting it into the overall plan of the studio apartment unit. To facilitate accurate placement of the kitchen, you’ll change the location of the base point of this drawing to the upper-left corner of the kitchen. This will then be the drawing’s grip:
1. Complete the kitchenette as indicated earlier in Figure 6-11. As the figure indicates, make sure you put the kitchenette on the Fixture layer. This will help you control the visibility of the kitchenette in future edits of this file. Draw the sink roughly as shown in the figure.
2. Choose Draw Block Base from the menu bar or type BASE↵. You can also expand the Block panel on the Tool Sets palette and click the Set Base Point icon.
3. At the Enter base point: prompt, pick the upper-left corner of the kitchen, as indicated in Figure 6-11. The kitchen drawing is complete.
4. Choose File Save from the menu bar, or press F-S, or type SAVE↵ and then exit the file.
As mentioned briefly in Chapter 3, when you’re using AutoCAD, you first create the basic geometric forms used in your drawing, and then you refine them. In the following sections, you’ll create two drawings—the studio apartment unit and the lobby—that demonstrate this process in more detail.
First, you’ll construct a typical studio apartment unit by using the drawings you’ve created thus far. In the process, you’ll explore the use of lines as reference objects.
You’ll also further examine how to use existing files as blocks. In Chapter 4, “Organizing Objects with Blocks and Groups,” you inserted a file into another file. The number of files you can insert is limitless, and you can insert files of any size. As you may already have guessed, you can also nest files and blocks; that is, you can insert blocks or files in other blocks or files. Nesting can help reduce your drawing time by enabling you to build one block out of smaller blocks. For example, you can insert your door drawing into the bathroom plan. In turn, you can insert the bathroom plan into the studio unit plan, which also contains doors. Finally, you can insert the unit plan into the overall floor plan for the studio apartment building.
Importing Settings
In this exercise, you’ll use the Bath file as a prototype for the studio unit plan. However, you must make a few changes to it first. After the changes are made, you’ll import the bathroom and thereby import the layers and blocks contained in the bathroom file.
As you go through this exercise, observe how the drawings begin to evolve from simple forms to complex, assembled forms.
Use these steps to modify the Bath file:
1. Open the Bath file. If you skipped drawing the Bath file in Chapter 5, “Keeping Track of Layers and Blocks,” use the file 05c-bath.dwg (or 05c-bath-metric.dwg), which can be obtained from the companion website.
2. Start the Base command using one of the previously mentioned methods. Select the upper-left corner of the bathroom as the new base point for this drawing so you can position the Bath file more accurately.
3. Save the Bath file. If you use the file from the website, choose Save As and save it as Bath in the Documents folder.
4. Click the red Close button in the upper-left corner of the drawing window, choose File Close from the menu bar, or press F-W to close the bath drawing.
Next you’ll create a new file:
1. Click File New to open the Select Template dialog box.
2. Locate and select the acad.dwt template file. Metric users should locate the acadiso.dwt template file.
3. Click Open to open the new file.
4. If you’re using Imperial (English) measurements, choose Format Units from the menu bar; then in the Drawing Units dialog box, select Architectural from the Length group’s Type pop-up menu and click Save. Metric users, use the default Decimal length type.
5. Choose Format Drawing Limits or type LIMITS↵. At the Specify lower left corner or [ON/OFF] <0'-0",0'-0">: prompt, press ↵ to accept the default drawing origin for the lower-left corner.
6. If you’re using Imperial measurements, enter 528,408↵ at the next prompt. These are the appropriate dimensions for a drawing that’s 8½˝ 11˝ at 1/4˝ = 1´-0 ˝ scale. Metric users should enter 1485,1050. This is the work area for a 1:50 scale drawing on an A4 sheet.
7. Choose View Zoom All from the menu bar or type Z↵ A↵.
Let’s continue by laying out a typical studio unit. You’ll discover how importing a file also imports a variety of drawing items such as layers and linetypes. Follow these steps:
1. Begin the unit by drawing two rectangles, one 14´ long by 24´ wide and the other 14´ long by 4´ wide. Metric users should make the rectangles 426 cm wide by 731 cm long and 426 cm wide by 122 cm long. Place them as shown in Figure 6-12. The large rectangle represents the interior of the apartment unit, and the small rectangle represents the balcony. The size and location of the rectangles are indicated in the figure.
Figure 6-12:The apartment unit interior and balcony. Metric locations and dimensions are shown in brackets.
If You Used the Rectangle Tool to Draw the Interior and Balcony…
…of the apartment unit, make sure you use the Explode tool on the Tool Sets palette to explode the rectangles. The Rectangle command draws a polyline rectangle instead of simple line segments, so you need to explode the rectangle to reduce it to its component lines. You’ll learn more about polylines in Chapter 17, “Drawing Curves.”
2. Click the Insert tool on the Tool Sets palette, choose Insert Block from the menu bar, or enter I↵ to open the Insert Block dialog box.
3. Click the Browse button, and locate and select the bathroom drawing (Bath.dwg) by using the Select Drawing File dialog box. Then click Open. If you haven’t saved a bathroom drawing from earlier exercises, you can use 05c-bath.dwg.
4. If you’re using the 05c-bath.dwg file, do the following: After selecting 05c-bath.dwg in step 3, change the name that appears in the Name text box to Bath instead of 05c-bath before you click Insert in step 5. This gives the inserted file a block name of Bath, even though its originating filename is 05c-bath.
5. Click Insert in the Insert Block dialog box, and then click the upper-left corner of the unit’s interior as the insertion point (see Figure 6-13). You can use the Endpoint osnap to place the bathroom accurately. Use a scale factor of 1.0 and a rotation angle of 0°.
Figure 6-13:The unit after the bathroom is inserted
6. If Running Osnaps haven’t been set up, you need to use the Osnap shortcut menu (right-click and choose Snap Overrides) to access the Endpoint osnap. You can set up Running Osnaps to take advantage of AutoCAD’s AutoSnap functions by right-clicking the Object Snap button in the status bar. Set the Running Osnaps as described in Chapter 3.
7. Assign the two rectangles that you drew earlier to the Wall layer. To do this, select the lines that make up the rectangles so they’re highlighted, and then in the Properties Inspector palette, choose the Layers pop-up menu and select Wall. Press the Esc key to clear the selection.
By inserting the bathroom, you imported the layers and blocks contained in the Bath file. You were then able to move previously drawn objects to the imported layers. If you’re in a hurry, this can be a quick way to duplicate layers that you know exist in another drawing. This method is similar to using an existing drawing as a template, but it lets you start work on a drawing before deciding which template to use.
Inserted Drawing and Layer Behavior
If you insert a drawing and the same layers already exist in the current drawing, the inserted drawing layers will be ignored. Therefore, any layer properties in the inserted drawing are not picked up.
Using Osnap Tracking to Place Objects
You’ll draw lines in the majority of your work, so it’s important to know how to manipulate lines to your best advantage. In the following sections, you’ll look at some of the most common ways to use and edit these fundamental drawing objects. The following exercises show you the process of drawing lines rather than just how individual commands work. While you’re building walls and adding doors, you’ll get a chance to become more familiar with Polar Tracking and Osnap Tracking.
Roughing In the Line Work
The bathroom you inserted in the preceding section has only one side of its interior walls drawn. (Walls are usually shown by double lines.) In this next exercise, you’ll draw the other side. Rather than trying to draw the wall perfectly the first time, you’ll sketch in the line work and then clean it up in the next section, in a way similar to manual drafting.
Use these steps to rough in the wall lines:
1. Zoom in to the bathroom so that the entire bathroom and part of the area around it are displayed, as in Figure 6-14.
Figure 6-14:The enlarged view of the bathroom
2. Right-click the layer Wall in the Layers palette. From the menu, click Set Current.
3. Make sure that the Object Snap Tracking and Object Snap buttons on the status bar are turned on.
4. Click the Line tool on the Tool Sets palette; choose Draw Line from the menu bar, or enter L↵.
5. At the Specify first point: prompt, hover your cursor over the lower-right corner of the bathroom so that the Endpoint Osnap marker appears, but don’t click it.
6. Now move the cursor downward; as you do, the tracking vector appears. (If the tracking vector doesn’t appear at first, hover your cursor over the corner again until it does appear.)
Remember that a little cross appears at the osnap location, telling you that Osnap Tracking has “locked on” to that location.
7. With the tracking vector visible, point the cursor directly downward from the corner, and then type 5↵. Metric users should type 13↵. A line starts 5˝ (or 13 cm) below the lower-right corner of the bathroom. This is known as direct distance.
8. Continue the line horizontally to the left, to cross the left wall of the apartment unit slightly, as illustrated in the top image in Figure 6-15. Press ↵.
9. Draw another line upward from the endpoint of the top door jamb to meet the top wall of the unit (see the bottom image in Figure 6-15). Use the Perpendicular osnap to pick the top wall of the unit. This causes the line to end precisely on the wall line in a perpendicular position, as in the bottom image in Figure 6-15.
You can also use the Perpendicular Osnap override to draw a line perpendicular to a non-orthogonal line—one at a 45° angle, for instance.
Smoothing the Arc
You may notice that some of the arcs in your bathroom drawing aren’t smooth. Don’t be alarmed; this is how AutoCAD displays arcs and circles in enlarged views. The arcs will be smooth when they’re printed. If you want to see them now as they’re stored in the file, you can regenerate the drawing by typing REGEN↵ at the Command prompt. Chapter 7, “Mastering Viewing Tools, Hatches, and External References,” discusses regeneration in more detail.
Figure 6-15:The first wall line and the wall line by the door
10. Draw a line connecting the two door jambs. Then assign that line to the Ceiling layer. (See the top panel in Figure 6-16.)
11. Draw a line 6˝ downward from the endpoint of the door jamb nearest the corner. Assign that line to the Wall layer. (See the top panel in Figure 6-16.)
In the previous exercise, Osnap Tracking mode enabled you to specify a starting point of a line at an exact distance from the corner of the bathroom. In step 7, you used the Direct Distance method for specifying distance and direction.
Selecting Points from a Known Location
Instead of using a tracking vector in step 6 of the previous exercise, you can choose From on the Osnap shortcut menu and then open the shortcut menu again and select Endpoint. Select the corner and enter a polar coordinate such as @5<-90 to accomplish the same task as this exercise.
Figure 6-16:The corner of the bathroom wall and the filleted wall around the bathroom
Cleaning Up the Line Work
You’ve drawn some of the wall lines, approximating their endpoint locations. Next you’ll use the Fillet command to join lines exactly end to end and then import the kitchen drawing.
Understanding the Osnap Tracking Vector
The Osnap Tracking vector comes into play only after you’ve placed an Osnap marker on a location—in this case, the corner of the bathroom. It won’t appear at any other time. If you have both Running Osnaps and Osnap Tracking turned on, you’ll get the tracking vector every time the cursor lands on an osnap location. This can be confusing to novice users, so you may want to use Osnap Tracking sparingly until you become more comfortable with it.
Because Polar Tracking also uses a tracking vector, you may get the two confused. Remember that Polar Tracking lets you point the cursor in a specific direction while selecting points. If you’re an experienced AutoCAD user, you can think of it as a more intelligent Ortho mode. On the other hand, Osnap Tracking lets you align points to osnap locations. Experienced AutoCAD users can think of Osnap Tracking as a more intelligent XYZ filter option.
Follow these steps to join the lines:
1. Click the Fillet tool on the Tool Sets palette, choose Modify Fillet from the menu bar, or enter F↵.
2. Type R↵ 0↵ to make sure the fillet radius is set to zero.
Chamfer vs. Fillet
The Chamfer command performs a function similar to the function the Fillet command performs, but unlike Fillet, it enables you to join two lines with an intermediate beveled line rather than with an arc. Chamfer can be set to join two lines at a corner in exactly the same manner as Fillet.
3. Fillet the two lines by picking the vertical and horizontal lines, as indicated in the bottom panel in Figure 6-16 shown earlier in this chapter. Notice that these points lie on the portion of the line you want to keep. Your drawing will look like the bottom panel in Figure 6-16.
4. Fillet the bottom wall of the bathroom with the left wall of the unit, as shown in Figure 6-17. Make sure the points you pick on the wall lines are on the side of the line you want to keep, not on the side you want trimmed.
5. Fillet the top wall of the unit with the right-side wall of the bathroom, as shown in Figure 6-17.
Figure 6-17:The cleaned-up wall intersections
You can select two lines at once for the fillet operation by using a crossing window; to do so, type C↵ at the Select first object or ...: prompt. The two endpoints closest to the fillet location are trimmed.
Where you select the lines affects how the lines are joined. As you select objects to fillet, the side of the line where you click is the side that remains when the lines are joined. Figure 6-18 illustrates how the Fillet command works and shows what the Fillet options do.
Figure 6-18:Where you click the object to select it determines which part of an object gets filleted.
If you select two parallel lines during the Fillet command, the two lines are joined with an arc.
Now import the kitchen plan you drew earlier in this chapter:
1. Insert the kitchen drawing using one of the previously mentioned methods. In the Insert Block dialog box, click the Browse button to locate the kitchen drawing you created earlier in this chapter. Make sure you leave the Specify On-Screen check box unselected under the Scale and Rotation groups; click the Show Insertion Options disclosure triangle if you do not see the options.
2. Place the kitchen drawing at the wall intersection below the bathtub. (See the top image in Figure 6-19.)
If you didn’t complete the kitchen earlier in this chapter, you can insert the 06a-kitchen.dwg file. Metric users can insert 06 kitchen-metric.dwg.
3. Adjust your view with Pan and Zoom so that the upper portion of the apartment unit is centered in the drawing area, as illustrated in the top image in Figure 6-19.
Figure 6-19:The view after using Pan and Zoom, with the door inserted and the jamb and header added
Placing the Door Accurately
The next step is to add the entry door shown in the bottom image in Figure 6-19. In doing that, you’ll use a number of new tools together to streamline the drawing process.
In this exercise, you’ll practice using the Osnap Tracking feature and the From Osnap option to place the entry door at an exact distance from the upper corner of the floor plan:
1. Make sure the Door layer is current. Right-click in the Command window, and choose Insert from the shortcut menu to open the Insert Block dialog box. The shortcut menu displays the last three commands used, but if you choose More Commands, you can see additional commands you previously used.
2. Select Door from the Name pop-up menu.
3. Make sure the Specify On-Screen option is checked in the Rotation group but not in the Scale group, and then click Insert. You’ll see the door follow the cursor in the drawing window. You may need to click the Show Insertion Options disclosure triangle to view the scale and rotate options.
4. Right-click the mouse, and choose Snap Overrides From.
5. Make sure the Object Snap and Object Snap Tracking buttons on the status bar are on; then use the Endpoint Running Osnap to pick the corner where the upper horizontal wall line meets the bathroom wall.
6. Move the cursor over the Osnap marker so that the Osnap Tracking vector appears from the corner. Now move the cursor to the right, and you’ll see the Osnap Tracking vector extend from the corner.
7. Continue to move the cursor to the right so that the tracking vector readout shows roughly 6˝, or 15 cm for metric users.
8. With the cursor in this position, enter 5↵. Metric users should enter 13↵. The door is placed exactly 5 (or 13) units to the right of the corner.
9. At the Specify rotation angle <0>: prompt, enter 270↵. Or, if you prefer, turn on Polar Tracking to orient the door so that it’s swinging into the studio. You’ve now accurately placed the entry door in the studio apartment.
10. Make sure the door is on the Door layer.
Next, add the finishing touches to the entry door:
1. Add 5˝ (13 cm for metric users) door jambs as shown in the bottom image in Figure 6-19, and change their Layer property to the Jamb layer.
2. Click the arrow from the Tool Sets palette to expand the Modify panel on the Tool Sets palette and then click the Break tool. You can also choose Modify Break from the menu bar or enter BR↵. Select the line over the entry door. (See the bottom image in Figure 6-19.)
3. Type F↵ to use the first-point option; then select the endpoint of one of the door jambs.
4. At the Specify second break point: prompt, select the endpoint of the other jamb, as shown in the bottom image in Figure 6-19.
5. Draw the door header on the Ceiling layer, as shown in Figure 6-20.
Figure 6-20:The other side of the wall
6. Click the arrow from the Tool Sets palette to expand the Block panel and click the Set Base Point tool, or enter BASE↵. Offset the top wall lines of the unit and the door header up 5˝ (13 cm for metric users) so they connect with the top end of the door jamb, as shown in Figure 6-20. Don’t forget to include the short wall line from the door to the bathroom wall.
7. Choose File Save to save your file as Unit.
Using Polar and Object Snap Tracking as Construction Line Tools
So far, you’ve been using existing geometry to place objects in the plan accurately. In this section, you’ll use the Polar and Object Snap Tracking tools to extend the upper wall line 5˝ (13 cm for metric users) beyond the right-side interior wall of the unit. You’ll also learn how to use the Construction Line tool to locate door jambs accurately near the balcony.
Other Methods for Using the Break Command
In the exercise for finishing the unit plan, you used the Break command to place a gap in a line accurately over the entry door. In Chapter 5, you broke a line at a single point to create multiple, contiguous line segments.
Earlier in this chapter, you used the Break command’s F option, which allows you to specify the first point of a break. You can also break a line without the F option, but with a little less accuracy. When you don’t use the F option, the point at which you select the object is used as the first break point. If you’re in a hurry, you can dispense with the F option and place a gap in an approximate location. You can then later use other tools to adjust the gap.
In addition, you can use locations on other objects to select the first and second points of a break. For example, you might want to align an opening with another opening some distance away. After you’ve selected the line to break, you can then use the F option and select two points on the existing opening to define the first and second break points. The break points will align in an orthogonal direction to the selected points.
Start by changing the Polar Tracking setting to include a 45° angle:
1. Right-click the Polar Tracking button in the status bar, and choose Settings to open the Drafting Settings dialog box at the Polar Tracking tab (see Figure 6-21).
Figure 6-21:The Polar Tracking tab in the Drafting Settings dialog box
2. Select 45 from the Increment Angle pop-up menu in the upper-left corner of the dialog box.
3. In the Object Snap Tracking Settings group, make sure the Track Using All Polar Angle Settings option is selected and click OK.
You’re ready to extend the wall line. For this operation, you’ll use grip editing:
1. Click the wall line at the top of the plan and to the right of the door to select the line and expose its grips.
2. Click the Ortho Mode button in the status bar to turn on Ortho mode. This keeps the wall line straight as you edit it.
3. Click the rightmost grip of the line to make it hot.
4. Place the cursor on the upper-right corner of the plan until you see the Endpoint Osnap marker; then move the cursor away from the corner at a 45° angle. The Osnap Tracking vector appears at a 45° angle. Notice the small X that appears at the intersection of the Osnap Tracking vector and the line (see Figure 6-22).
Figure 6-22:The Osnap Tracking vector
With the Osnap Tracking vector and the line intersecting, click the mouse button. The line changes to extend exactly 5 units beyond the vertical interior wall of the plan.
5. Press the Esc key to clear your selection. Then repeat steps 1 through 4 for the horizontal wall line to the left of the door to extend that line to the left corner (Figure 6-23).
Figure 6-23:Extend the wall line using the Osnap Tracking vector.
6. Click Zoom All or type Z↵ A↵ to view the entire drawing, which should look like Figure 6-24.
Figure 6-24:The studio unit so far
With Polar Tracking set to 45° and Osnap Tracking turned on in a crowded drawing, you may find that you’re selecting points you don’t really want to select. Just remember that if a drawing becomes too crowded, you can turn off these options temporarily by clicking the Object Snap Tracking or Polar Tracking button in the status bar.
In this exercise, you used Polar Tracking and Ortho mode to position the two lines used for the exterior walls of the studio unit accurately. This shows how you can take advantage of existing geometry with a combination of tools in the status bar.
Now you’ll finish the balcony by adding a sliding-glass door and a rail. This time, you’ll use lines for construction as well as for parts of the drawing. First, you’ll add the door jamb by drawing a construction line. A construction line is a line that has an infinite length, but unlike a ray, it extends in both directions. After drawing the construction line, you’ll use it to position the door jambs quickly.
Follow these steps:
1. Zoom in to the balcony area, which is the smaller rectangle at the bottom of the drawing.
Click the arrow from the Tool Sets palette to expand the Open Shapes panel and then select the Construction Line tool. You can also choose Draw Construction Line from the menu bar, or enter XL↵. You’ll see this prompt:
Specify a point or [Hor/Ver/Ang/Bisect/Offset]:
2. Type O↵ to select Offset.
3. At the Specify offset distance or [Through] <0´-5˝>: prompt, type 4´↵. Metric users should type 122↵.
4. At the Select a line object: prompt, click the wall line at the right of the unit.
5. At the Specify side to offset: prompt, click a point to the left of the wall to display the construction line. (See the top image of Figure 6-25.)
6. At the Select a line object: prompt, click the left wall line and then click to the right of the selected wall to create another construction line and press ↵. Your drawing should look like the top image in Figure 6-25.
Figure 6-25:Drawing the door opening
Next you’ll edit the construction lines to form the jambs.
7. Click Trim on the Tool Sets palette, choose Modify Trim, or type TR↵.
8. Select the construction lines and the two horizontal lines representing the wall between the unit and the balcony, and press ↵. You can either use a crossing window or select each line individually. You’ve just selected the objects to trim to.
You can also use the Fence selection option to select the lines to be trimmed.
9. Click the horizontal lines at any point between the two construction lines. Then click the construction lines above and below the horizontal lines to trim them. Your drawing now looks like the bottom image in Figure 6-25.
10. Assign the trimmed construction lines to the Jamb layer.
11. Add lines on the Ceiling layer to represent the door header.
12. Draw lines between the two jambs (on the Door layer) to indicate a sliding-glass door (see Figure 6-26).
The wall facing the balcony is now complete. To finish the unit, you need to show a handrail and the corners of the balcony wall:
1. Offset the bottom line of the balcony 3˝ toward the top of the drawing. Metric users should offset the line 7.6 units.
2. Create a new layer called F-rail, and assign this offset line to it.
3. Add a 5˝ (13 cm for metric users) horizontal line to the lower corners of the balcony, as shown in Figure 6-26.
Figure 6-26:Finishing the sliding-glass door and the railing
4. Click the arrow from the Tool Sets palette to expand the Block panel and then click the Set Base Point tool. Set the base point at the lower-left corner of the balcony, at the location shown in Figure 6-26.
5. Zoom back to the previous view. Your drawing should now look like Figure 6-27.
6. Choose File Save to save the drawing, and then close the file.
Your studio apartment unit plan is now complete. The exercises you’ve just completed demonstrate a typical set of operations you’ll perform while building your drawings. In fact, nearly 80 percent of what you’ll do in AutoCAD is represented here.
Now, to review the drawing process and to create a drawing you’ll use later, you’ll draw the apartment building’s lobby. As you follow the steps, refer to Figure 6-28.
Figure 6-27:The completed studio apartment unit
Figure 6-28:Drawing the lobby plan. Metric dimensions are shown in brackets.
The Construction Line Options
There is more to the Construction Line tool than you’ve seen in the exercises in this chapter. Here is a list of the Construction Line options and their uses:
Hor Draws horizontal construction lines as you click points
Ver Draws vertical construction lines as you click points
Ang Draws construction lines at a specified angle as you pick points
Bisect Draws construction lines bisecting an angle or a location between two points
Offset Draws construction lines offset at a specified distance from an existing line
As is usual in floor plans, the elevator shaft is indicated by the box with the large X through it, and the stair shaft is indicated by the box with the row of vertical lines through it. If you’re in a hurry, use the finished version of this file, called Lobby.dwg (Lobby-metric.dwg for metric users).
To draw the apartment building lobby, follow these steps:
1. Create a new file called Lobby, using the Unit file as a prototype. (Open the Unit file, choose File Save As from the menu bar, and enter Lobby for the new filename.)
2. Erase the entire unit (click the Erase tool from the Tool Sets palette, and then type ALL↵↵).
3. Draw the three main rectangles that represent the outlines of the stair shaft, the elevator shaft, and the lobby.
4. To draw the stairs, copy or offset the stair shaft’s left wall to the right a distance of 4´ (122 cm). This creates the first line representing the steps.
5. Array this line in one row of 10 columns, using 11˝ (28 cm) column offset.
6. Draw the center line dividing the two flights of stairs.
7. Draw the elevator, insert the door, and assign the door to the Door layer. Practice using construction lines here.
8. Draw the door jambs. Edit the door openings to add the door jambs and headers.
9. Use the Base command to set the base point of the drawing. Your plan should resemble the one in Figure 6-28, step 4.
10. Save the Lobby file and close it.
Using Rays
If you like the Construction Line tool but you would like to have one endpoint, you can use a ray (click Ray in the expanded Open Shapes panel on the Tool Sets palette). A ray is like a line that starts from a point you select and continues off to an infinite distance. You specify the start point and angle of the ray. You can place a ray at the corner at a 45° angle and then fillet the ray to the horizontal wall line to shorten or lengthen the line to the appropriate length.
Finding an Exact Distance along a Curve
To find an exact distance along a curve or to mark off specific distance increments along a curve, do the following:
1. Open a new drawing. Click the arrow from the Tool Sets palette to expand the Open Spaces panel and then click the Point Style tool. You can also click Format Point Style from the menu bar or enter DDPTYPE↵ to open the Point Style dialog box (Figure 6-29).
Figure 6-29:The Point Style dialog box
2. Click the X icon in the top row. Also be sure the Set Size Relative To Screen radio button is selected. Then click OK.
You can also set the point style by setting the Pdmode system variable to 3.
3. Click the Measure tool from the Tool Sets palette, choose Draw Point Measure from the menu bar, or type ME↵.
The Difference between Divide and Measure
Divide (choose Draw Point Divide from the menu bar) marks off a line, an arc, or a curve into equal divisions as opposed to divisions of a length you specify. You might use Divide to divide an object into 12 equal segments, for example. Aside from this difference in function, Divide works exactly the same way as Measure.
4. At the Select object to measure: prompt, click the end of the curve that you want to use as the starting point for your distance measurement.
5. At the Specify length of segment or [Block]: prompt, enter the distance you want. A series of Xs appears on the curve, marking off the specified distance along the curve. You can select the exact location of the Xs by using the Node Osnap override (see Figure 6-30).
Figure 6-30:Finding an exact distance along a spline curve by using points and the Measure command
Using Blocks instead of Points
The Block option of the Measure command enables you to specify a block to be inserted at the specified segment length in place of the Xs on the arc. You can align the block with the arc as it’s inserted. (This is similar to the polar array’s Rotate Items As Copied option.)
The Measure command also works on most objects, including arcs and polylines. You’ll get a more detailed look at the Measure command in Chapter 17.
As you work with AutoCAD, you’ll find that constructing temporary geometry such as the circle and points in the two previous examples will help you solve problems in new ways. Don’t hesitate to experiment! Remember, you’ve always got the Save and Undo commands to help you recover from mistakes.
Divide and Measure as AutoLISP Customization Tools
Divide and Measure are great tools for gathering information about objects in a drawing. A colleague of mine found Measure to be an excellent way to find the length of a complex object while working on an AutoLISP macro. In AutoLISP, you have to write some elaborate code just to find the length of a complex polyline. After struggling with his program code, he realized that he could use the Measure command to mark off known distances along a polyline and then count the points to find the overall length of the polyline. For more on AutoLISP, see the Bonus Chapter 1 on the accompanying website.
Changing the Length of Objects
Suppose that, after finding the length of an arc, you realize you need to lengthen the arc by a specific amount. The Lengthen tool in the expanded Modify panel on the Tool Sets palette lets you lengthen or shorten arcs, lines, polylines, splines, and elliptical arcs. As an example, here’s how to lengthen an arc:
1. Click the arrow from the Tool Sets palette to expand the Modify panel and then click the Lengthen tool. You can also choose Modify Lengthen from the menu bar or enter LEN↵
2. At the Select an object or [DElta/Percent/Total/DYnamic]: prompt, type T↵.
3. At the Specify total length or [Angle] <1.0000)>: prompt, enter the length you want for the arc.
4. At the Select an object to change or [Undo]: prompt, click the arc you want to change. Be sure to click at a point nearest the end you want to lengthen. The arc increases in length to the size you specified.
The Lengthen command also shortens an object if it’s currently longer than the value you enter.
In this short example, you’ve learned how to change an object to a specific length. You can use other criteria to change an object’s length, using these options available for the Lengthen command:
DElta Lengthens or shortens an object by a specific length. To specify an angle rather than a length, use the Angle suboption.
Percent Increases or decreases the length of an object by a percentage of its current length.
Total Specifies the total length or angle of an object.
DYnamic Lets you graphically change the length of an object using your cursor.
Creating a New Drawing by Using Parts from Another Drawing
This section explains how to use the Export command. Export can be used to turn parts of a drawing into a separate file in a way similar to the Wblock command described in Chapter 4. Here you’ll use the Export command to create a separate staircase drawing by using the staircase you’ve already drawn for the lobby.
Follow these steps:
1. If you closed the Lobby file, open it now. If you didn’t create the lobby drawing, open the Lobby.dwg (or Lobby-metric.dwg) file.
2. Choose File Export from the menu bar, press F-E, or type Export↵ to open the Export Data dialog box.
3. Enter stair in the Save As text box, and select Block (*.dwg) from the File Format pop-up menu. Click Save.
4. At the Enter name of existing block or [= (block=output file)/* (whole drawing)] <define new drawing>: prompt, press ↵. When you export to a DWG format, AutoCAD assumes you want to export a block. Bypassing this prompt by pressing ↵ tells AutoCAD that you want to create a file from part of the drawing rather than from a block.
5. At the Specify insertion base point: prompt, pick the lower-right corner of the stair shaft. This tells AutoCAD the base point for the new drawing.
6. At the Select objects: prompt, use a window to select the stair shaft, as shown in Figure 6-31.
Figure 6-31:A selection window enclosing the stair shaft
7. When the stair shaft, including the door, is highlighted, press ↵ to confirm your selection. The stairs disappear.
8. Because you want the stairs to remain in the lobby drawing, right-click and choose Undo Export to bring them back. Undo doesn’t affect any files you might export by choosing File Export from the menu bar, by using Wblock, or by using the Block tool.
Eliminating Unused Blocks, Layers, Linetypes, Shapes, Styles, and More
A template can contain blocks and layers you don’t need in your new file. For example, the lobby you just completed contains the Bathroom block because you used the Unit file as a prototype. Even though you erased this block, it remains in the drawing file’s database. It’s considered unused because it doesn’t appear as part of the drawing. Such extra blocks can slow you down by increasing the amount of time needed to open the file. They also increase the size of your file unnecessarily. You can eliminate unused elements from a drawing by using the Purge command.
Selectively Removing Unused Elements
You use the Purge command to remove unused individual blocks, layers, linetypes, shapes, text styles, and other drawing elements from a drawing file. To help keep the file size small and to make layer maintenance easier, you should purge your drawing of unused elements. Bear in mind, however, that the Purge command doesn’t delete certain primary drawing elements—namely, layer 0, the Continuous linetype, and the Standard text style.
Use these steps to practice using the Purge command:
1. Choose File Open from menu bar, and open the Lobby.dwg sample file.
2. Type PURGE↵ (or PU↵) to see a listing of drawing components that can be purged.
3. At the Enter type of unused objects to purge: prompt, type B↵.
4. At the Enter name(s) to purge <*>: prompt, type BATH↵↵.
5. Type N↵ to dismiss verification of names. The Bath block has been deleted from the drawing.
Removing All Unused Elements
In the preceding exercise, you selected a single block for removal from the Lobby file. If you want to clear all the unused elements from a file at once, you can select the All option.
Here are the steps:
1. Type PURGE↵ (or PU↵) to see a listing of drawing components that can be purged.
2. At the Enter type of unused objects to purge: prompt, type A↵.
3. Press ↵ at the Enter name(s) to purge <*>: prompt. This will select all names.
4. Press ↵ at the Verify each name to be purged? [Yes/No] <Y>: prompt. You can continue to type Y↵ and AutoCAD will display the next unused element still in the drawing.
5. Close and save the Lobby file, and exit AutoCAD.
The Lobby file is now trimmed down to the essential data it needs and nothing else.
Purging Zero-Length Geometry and Blank Text
One of the purge options is to “purge zero-length geometry and empty text objects.” This has long been on the wish list of AutoCAD users, and it does just what it says: It purges objects that have no length as well as text objects that do not contain any text.
Create and use templates. If you find that you’re using the same settings repeatedly when you create a new drawing file, you can set up an existing file the way you like and save it as a template. You can then use your saved template for any new drawings you create.
Master It Describe the method for saving a file as a template.
Copy an object multiple times. Many tools in AutoCAD allow you to create multiple copies. The Array command offers a way to create circular copies or row and column copies.
Master It What names are given to the two types of arrays in the Array dialog box?
Develop your drawing. When laying down simple line work, you’ll use a few tools frequently. The exercises in the early part of this book showed you some of these commonly used tools.
Master It What tool can you use to join two lines end to end?
Find an exact distance along a curve. AutoCAD offers some tools that allow you to find an exact distance along a curve.
Master It Name the two tools you can use to mark off exact distances along a curve.
Change the length of objects. You can accurately adjust the length of a line or arc in AutoCAD using a single command.
Master It What is the command alias for the command that changes the length of objects?
Create a new drawing by using parts from another drawing. You can save a lot of time by reusing parts of drawings. The Export command can help.
Master It True or false: The Export command saves only blocks as drawing files.