Chapter 19

Creating 3D Drawings

Viewing an object in three dimensions gives you a sense of its true shape and form. It also helps you conceptualize your design, which results in better design decisions. In addition, using three-dimensional objects helps you communicate your ideas to those who may not be familiar with the plans, sections, and side views of your design.

A further advantage to drawing in three dimensions is that you can derive 2D drawings from your 3D models, which could take considerably more time with standard 2D drawing methods. For example, you can model a mechanical part in 3D and then quickly derive its 2D top, front, and right-side views by using the techniques discussed in this chapter.

In this chapter, you’ll learn to do the following:

• Know the 3D modeling environment
• Draw in 3D using solids
• Create 3D forms from 2D shapes
• Isolate coordinates with point filters
• Move around your model
• Get a visual effect
• Turn a 3D view into a 2D AutoCAD drawing

Getting to Know the 3D Modeling Environment

AutoCAD takes on a slightly different persona when you work in 3D. Your drawing area looks a little different and the Tool Sets palette can be changed to show a different set of tools. You also begin to use parts of the menu bar and drawing area that you’ve probably just wondered about until now. To help ease your transition into 3D, take a brief tour of the AutoCAD features you’ll be using in the next several chapters.

Getting to Know the Modeling Tool Sets Palette

Most of this book is devoted to showing you how to work in a 2D drafting environment. The tools you’ve been working with in the Tool Sets palette are set up to make it easy for 2D drafting.

AutoCAD also offers a set of tools designed for 3D modeling. But even with these new tools, AutoCAD behaves in the same basic way, and the AutoCAD files produced are the same regardless of whether they’re 2D or 3D drawings.

To get to the 3D Modeling tools in the Tool Sets palette, you need to click the icon at the top of the Tool Sets palette and select Modeling (Figure 19-1).

If you’re starting a new 3D model, you’ll also want to create a new file using a 3D template. Try the following to get started with 3D modeling:

The drawing area displays the drawing in a perspective view with a dark gray background and a grid. This is really just a typical AutoCAD drawing file with a couple of setting changes. The view has been set up to be a perspective view by default, and a feature called Visual Styles has been set to show 3D objects as solid objects. You’ll learn more about the tools you can use to adjust the appearance of your drawing’s view later in this chapter. For now, let’s look at the changes in the Tool Sets palette. Figure 19-3 shows the Modeling toolset and the tool groups. Note the names of the groups in the title bars to the right of each group.

At the top of the Tool Sets palette are tools for creating 3D solid primitives, which are 3D objects that can be sculpted in various ways.

Just below the 3D solid primitive tools are the solid editing tools. These tools are part of a tool group that can be expanded by clicking the disclosure triangle that appears when you hover over them.

Next are the tools for creating 3D surfaces. You can create “hollow” 3D objects of various shapes using these tools. Additional tools can be found by expanding the Surfaces – Create tool group by clicking the disclosure triangle that appears when you hover over these tools. The Surfaces – Edit tool group is located just below the Surfaces – Create tool group.

In the middle of the Tool Sets palette, you’ll see the familiar Open and Closed Shapes tool groups. You can use these to help create 3D solids and surfaces. They are the same, familiar tools you’ve been using in the 2D environment. Many of the editing tools you have used already are also present. You’ll also find the Copy and Modify tool groups. The Copy tool group includes a few tools designed for 3D editing.

Farther down the Tool Sets palette are tools for materials, rendering, and adding light sources to your 3D model. Materials, lighting, and rendering go hand in hand, and their proximity to each other will help to remind you of their close relationship.

Finally, at the very bottom of the Tool Sets palette are three more tool groups. The Coordinates tool group contains tools that give you control over your work plane, otherwise known as the User Coordinate System, or UCS. The Distance and Volume tools and Section tool group allow you to gather information about your 3D model, such as area or volume. The Section tool group contains tools that enable you to create cross sections of your 3D objects. Between the section and coordinates tools are tools that enable you to analyze and measure your model.

Finding the 3D Options in the Menu Bar

In addition, there are commands for 3D modeling in the menu bar that don’t appear in the Tool Sets palette. The View menu offers Viewports, 3D Views, Visual Styles, and Render (Figure 19-4). These options enable you to control the appearance of your model. In addition, the Orbit and Camera options give you finer control over the direction of your view.

The Tools menu offers the New UCS and Named UCS options, which help to define a work plane in 3D. The Draw menu offers the 3D Modeling submenu, which contains all of the different types of 3D objects you can create in AutoCAD.

Toward the bottom of the Modify menu in the menu bar, you’ll see four options that offer commands to edit 3D objects as well as commands specifically designed for solids, surfaces, and meshes, which are the three main types of 3D objects you’ll work with in AutoCAD.

Revisiting the Drawing Area Viewport Controls and ViewCube

In Chapter 1, “Exploring the AutoCAD Interface,” you briefly encountered the viewport controls in the upper-left corner of the drawing area and you used the ViewCube to change your view of a 3D model of a locking clip. The ViewCube is easy to use once you’ve played with it a few times. It lets you go to any of the standard 3D views such as a Southwest or Northeast isometric view. You can also use the ViewCube to display a top, bottom, or side view. You can even switch between a perspective view and a parallel projection view using the ViewCube right-click menu.

The viewport controls in the upper-left corner of the drawing area enable you to control the look of your model in addition to duplicating many of the functions of the ViewCube. For example, you can go to a Northwest isometric view by clicking the Current menu option and selecting NW Isometric. (Don’t do that yet. You’ll get a chance to use it later on.) The Realistic menu option lets you choose from a set of different looks you can give your 3D model. These different looks, called visual styles, can be helpful while you work on your model. The plus sign option to the far left enables you to divide your drawing area into multiple viewports that are like separate and different views to your model.

Whenever you select an option from one of the viewport menus, the option you select is displayed in the menu. So if you were to select SW Isometric from the Current menu, the word Current is replaced with SW Isometric. For this reason, I’ll give these menus fixed names for the rest of this part of the book to make it easier to identify them. Figure 19-5 identifies these menus as the Plus, 3D Views, and Visual Styles viewport menus. If you encounter these names and you forget what they refer to, come back to this figure to refresh your memory.

Now that you’ve been introduced to the 3D modeling features of AutoCAD, let’s take a closer look. In the rest of the chapter, you’ll get some hands-on experience using the Modeling toolset as well as a few other options discussed so far.

Expanding the Status Bar for More 3D Tools

There are some hidden 3D tools that you’ll begin to use in this part of the book. You may have noticed the disclosure triangle on the far right of the status bar. Click it and the status bar expands to show additional tools you’ll use to create and modify 3D models (Figure 19-6).

There are tools for lighting and various other 3D-related features. For now, just be aware that these additional tools are there. You’ll be introduced to many of them throughout this part of the book.

Drawing in 3D Using Solids

You can work with three types of 3D objects in AutoCAD: solids, surfaces, and meshes. You can treat solid objects as if they’re solid material. For example, you can create a box and then remove shapes from the box as if you’re carving it, as shown in Figure 19-7.

With surfaces, you create complex surface shapes by building on lines, arcs, or polylines. For example, you can quickly turn a series of curved polylines, arcs, or lines into a warped surface, as shown in Figure 19-8.

Next, you’ll learn how to create a solid box and then make simple changes to it as an introduction to 3D modeling.

Adjusting Appearances

Before you start to work on the exercise, you’ll want to change the visual style to one that will make your work a little easier to visualize in the creation phase. Visual Styles offers a way to let you see your model in different styles from sketchlike to realistic. You’ll learn more about Visual Styles in “Getting a Visual Effect” later in this chapter, but for now, you’ll get a brief introduction by changing the style for the exercises that follow.

Choose Shades Of Gray from the Visual Styles viewport menu. You can also choose View ⇒ Visual Styles ⇒ Shades Of Gray from the menu bar or type VSCURRENT↵ G↵. This will give the solid objects in your model a uniform gray color and will also “highlight” the edges of the solids with a dark line so you can see them clearly.

Creating a 3D Box

Start by creating a box using the Box tool in the Tool Sets palette:

You used three basic steps in creating the box. First, you clicked one corner to establish a location for the box. Then, you clicked another corner to establish the base size. Finally, you entered a height. You use a similar set of steps to create any of the other 3D solid primitives found in the Box flyout of the Tool Sets palette. For example, for a cylinder, you select the center, then the radius, and finally the height. For a wedge, you select two corners as you did with the box, and then you select the height. You’ll learn more about these 3D solid primitives in Chapter 22, “Editing and Visualizing 3D Solids.”

Editing 3D Solids with Grips

Once you’ve created a solid, you can fine-tune its shape by using grips:

You can also move individual edges by using a -click:

As you can see, you have a great deal of flexibility in controlling the shape of the box. Using lets you constrain the motion of the grip.

Constraining Motion with the Gizmo

You were introduced to the gizmo in the preceding exercise. This is a tool that looks like the UCS icon and appears whenever you select a 3D solid or any part of a 3D solid. Try the next exercise to see how the gizmo works:

Here you used the gizmo to change the Z location of a grip easily. You can use the gizmo to modify the location of a single grip or the entire object.

Rotating Objects in 3D Using Dynamic UCS

Typically, you work in what is known as the World Coordinate System (WCS). This is the default coordinate system that AutoCAD uses in new drawings, but you can also create your own coordinate systems that are subsets of the WCS. A coordinate system that you create is known as a User Coordinate System (UCS).

UCSs are significant in 3D modeling because they can help you orient your work in 3D space. For example, you could set up a UCS on a vertical face of the 3D box you created earlier. You could then draw on that vertical face just as you would on the drawing’s WCS. Figure 19-12 shows a cylinder drawn on the side of a box. If you click the Cylinder tool, for example, and place the cursor on the side of the box, the side will be highlighted to indicate the surface to which the cylinder will be applied. In addition, if you could see the cursor in color, you would see that the blue Z axis is pointing sideways to the left and is perpendicular to the side of the box.

The UCS has always been an important tool for 3D modeling in AutoCAD. The example just described demonstrates the Dynamic UCS, which automatically changes the orientation of the X, Y, and Z axes to conform to the flat surface of a 3D object.

You may have noticed that when you created the new 3D file using the acad3D.dwt template, the cursor looked different. Instead of the usual cross, you saw three intersecting lines. If you look carefully, you’ll see that each line of the cursor is a different color. In its default configuration, AutoCAD shows a red line for the X axis, a green line for the Y axis, and a blue line for the Z axis. This mimics the color scheme of the UCS icon, as shown in Figure 19-13.

As you work with the Dynamic UCS, you’ll see that the orientation of these lines changes when you point at a surface on a 3D object. The following exercise shows you how to use the Dynamic UCS to help you rotate the box about the X axis:

Here you saw that you can hover over a surface to indicate the plane about which the rotation is to occur. Now, suppose you want to add an object to one of the sides of the rotated box. The next section will show you another essential tool, one you can use to do just that.

Drawing on a 3D Object’s Surface

In the rotation exercise, you saw that you can hover over a surface to indicate the plane of rotation. You can use the same method to indicate the plane on which you want to place an object. Try the following exercise to see how it’s done:

This demonstrates that you can use Dynamic UCS to align objects with the surface of an object. Note that Dynamic UCS works only on flat surfaces. For example, you can’t use it to place an object on the curved side of a cylinder.

Pushing and Pulling Shapes from a Solid

You’ve just added a 2D circle to the top surface of the 3D box. AutoCAD offers a command that lets you use that 2D circle or any closed 2D shape to modify the shape of your 3D object. The Presspull command lets you “press” or “pull” a 3D shape to or from the surface of a 3D object. The following exercise shows how this works:

You’ve created a circular indentation in the box by pressing the circular area defined by the two circles. You could have pulled the area upward to form a circular ridge on the box. Pressing the circle into the solid is essentially the same as subtracting one solid from another. When you press the shape into the solid, AutoCAD assumes you want to subtract the shape.

Presspull works with any closed 2D shape, such as a circle, closed polyline, or other completely enclosed area. An existing 3D solid isn’t needed. For example, you can draw two concentric circles without the 3D box and then use Presspull to convert the circles into a 3D solid ring. In the previous exercise, the solid box showed that you can use Presspull to subtract a shape from an existing solid.

As you saw in this exercise, the Presspull command can help you quickly subtract a shape from an existing 3D solid. Figure 19-18 shows some other examples of how you can use Presspull. For example, you can draw a line from one edge to another and then use Presspull to extrude the resulting triangular shape. You can also draw concentric shapes and extrude them; you can even use offset spline curves to add a trough to a solid.

Making Changes to Your Solid

When you’re creating a 3D model, you’ll hardly ever get the shape right the first time. Suppose you decide that you need to modify the shape you’ve created so far by moving the hole from the center of the box to a corner. The next exercise will show you how you can gain access to the individual components of a 3D solid to make changes.

The model you’ve been working with is composed of two objects: a box and a cylinder formed from two circles. These two components of the solid are referred to as subobjects of the main solid object. Faces and edges of 3D solids are also considered subobjects. When you use the Union, Subtract, and Intersect tools later on in this book, objects merge into a single solid—or at least that is how it seems at first. You can gain access to and modify the shape of the subobjects from which the shape is constructed by using while clicking the solid. Try the following:

This example showed that can be an extremely useful tool when you have to edit a solid; it allows you to select the subobjects that form your model. Once the subobjects are selected, you can move them, or you can use the arrow grips to change their size.

Creating 3D Forms from 2D Shapes

3D solid primitives are great for creating basic shapes, but in many situations, you’ll want to create a 3D form from a more complex shape. Fortunately, you can extrude 2D objects into a variety of shapes using additional 3D commands. For example, you can draw a shape like a star and then extrude it into a third dimension, as shown in Figure 19-21. Alternatively, you can use several strategically placed 2D objects to form a flowing surface like the wing of an airplane.

Extruding a Polyline

You can create a 3D solid by extruding a 2D closed polyline. This is a more flexible way to create shapes because you can create a polyline of any shape and extrude it to a fairly complex form.

In the following set of exercises, you’ll turn the apartment room from previous chapters into a 3D model. I’ve created a version of the apartment floor plan that has a few additions to make things a little easier for you. Figure 19-22 shows the file you’ll use in the exercise. It’s the same floor plan you’ve been working with in earlier chapters but with the addition of closed polylines outlining the walls.

The plan isn’t shaded as in the previous examples in this chapter. You can work in 3D in this display mode just as easily as in a shaded mode:

Unlike in the earlier exercise with the box, you can see through the walls because this is a 2D wireframe view. A wireframe view shows the volume of a 3D object by displaying the lines representing the edges of surfaces. Later in this chapter, we’ll discuss how to make an object’s surfaces appear opaque as they do on the box earlier in this chapter.

Next you’ll add door headers to define the wall openings:

The walls and door headers give you a better sense of the space in the unit plan. To enhance the appearance of the 3D model further, you can join the walls and door headers so they appear as seamless walls and openings:

Now the walls and headers appear as one seamless surface without any distracting joint lines. You can really get a sense of the space of the unit plan. You’ll want to explore ways of viewing the unit in 3D, but before you do that, you need to know about one more 3D modeling feature: point filters.

Isolating Coordinates with Point Filters

AutoCAD offers a method for 3D point selection that can help you isolate the X, Y, or Z coordinate of a location in 3D. Using point filters, you can enter an X, Y, or Z value by picking a point on the screen and telling AutoCAD to use only the X, Y, or Z value of that point or any combination of those values. For example, suppose you want to start the corner of a 3D box at the X and Y coordinates of the corner of the unit plan but you want the Z location at 3´ instead of at ground level. You can use point filters to select only the X and Y coordinates of a point and then specify the Z coordinate as a separate value. The following exercise demonstrates how this works:

In step 4, you selected the corner of the box, but the box didn’t appear right away. You had to enter a Z value in step 5 before the outline of the box appeared. Then, in step 5, you saw the box begin at the 36˝ elevation. Using point filters allowed you to place the box accurately in the drawing even though there were no features that you could snap to directly.

Now that you’ve gotten most of the unit modeled in 3D, you’ll want to be able to look at it from different angles. Next you’ll see some of the tools available to control your views in 3D.

Moving around Your Model

AutoCAD offers a number of tools to help you view your 3D model. You’ve already used one to get the current 3D view. Choosing SW Isometric from the 3D Views menu on the Viewport Controls displays an isometric view from a southwest direction. You may have noticed several other isometric view options in that menu. The following sections introduce you to some of the ways you can move around in your 3D model.

Finding Isometric and Orthogonal Views

Figure 19-32 illustrates the isometric view options you saw earlier: SE Isometric, SW Isometric, NE Isometric, and NW Isometric. The cameras represent the different viewpoint locations. You can get an idea of their location in reference to the grid and UCS icon.

The 3D Views menu also offers another set of options: Top, Bottom, Left, Right, Front, and Back. These are orthogonal views that show the sides, top, and bottom of the model, as illustrated in Figure 19-33. In this figure, the cameras once again show the points of view.

When you use any of the view options described here, AutoCAD attempts to display the extents of the drawing. You can then use the Pan and Zoom features to adjust your view.

Rotating Freely around Your Model

You may find the isometric and orthogonal views a bit restrictive. The Orbit option lets you move around your model in real time. You can fine-tune your view by clicking and dragging the mouse using this option. Try the following to see how it works:

If you have several objects in your model, you can select an object that you want to revolve around and then click the Orbit option. It also helps to pan your view so the object you select is in the center of the view.

When you’ve reached the view you want, right-click and choose Exit. You’re then ready to make more changes or use another tool.

Changing Your View Direction

One of the first tasks you’ll want to do with a model is to look at it from all angles. The ViewCube is the perfect tool for this purpose. The ViewCube is a device that lets you select a view by using a sample cube. You have already seen the ViewCube in the early part of this chapter. If it is not visible in your drawing, do the following:

The following list explains what you can do with the ViewCube (Figure 19-34):

• Click the Home icon to bring your view to the “home” position. This is helpful if you lose sight of your model.
• Click a corner of the cube to get an isometric-style view, or click an edge to get an “edge-on” view.
• You can get a top, front, right-side, or other orthogonal view just by clicking the word Top, Front, or Right on the ViewCube.
• Click and drag the N, S, E, or W label to rotate the model in the XY plane.
• To rotate your view of the object in 3D freely, click and drag the cube.
• From the icon at the bottom, select an existing UCS or create a new one from the UCS list.

You can also change from a perspective view to a parallel projection view by right-clicking the ViewCube and selecting Parallel Projection. To go from parallel projection to perspective, right-click and select Perspective or Perspective With Ortho Faces. The Perspective With Ortho Faces option works like the Perspective option except it will force a parallel projection view when you use the ViewCube to select a top, bottom, or side orthographic view.

When you are in a plan or top view, the ViewCube will look like a square, and when you hover your cursor over the cube, you’ll see two curved arrows to the upper-right of the cube (Figure 19-35).

You can click on any of the visible corners to go to an isometric view or click the double curved arrows to rotate the view 90 degrees. The four arrowheads that you see pointing toward the cube allow you to change to an orthographic view of any of the four sides.

Changing Where You Are Looking

AutoCAD uses a camera analogy to help you set up views in your 3D model. With a camera, you have a camera location and a target, and you can fine-tune both in AutoCAD. AutoCAD also offers the Swivel option to let you adjust your view orientation. Using the Swivel option is like keeping the camera stationary while pointing in a different direction. While viewing your drawing in perspective mode, click Pan on the status bar, right-click in the drawing area, and select Other Navigation Modes ⇒ Swivel. (Remember that you need to right-click the ViewCube and select Perspective for the perspective mode or choose Perspective from the 3D Views menu on the Viewport control.)

At first, the Swivel option might seem just like the Pan command. But in the 3D world, Pan actually moves both the camera and the target in unison. Using Pan is a bit like pointing a camera out the side of a moving car. If you don’t keep the view in the camera fixed on an object, you are panning across the scenery. Using the Swivel option is like standing on the side of the road and turning the camera to take in a panoramic view.

To use the Swivel option, do the following:

If you happen to lose your view entirely, you can press F-Z to return to your previous view and start over. You can also click the Zoom button in the status bar, and then right-click and select Previous.

Changing from Perspective to Parallel Projection

When you create a new drawing using the acad3D.dwt template, you’re automatically given a perspective view of the file. If you need a more schematic parallel projection style of view, you can get one from the ViewCube’s right-click shortcut menu (Figure 19-36). You can return to a perspective view by using the same shortcut menu shown in the figure.

Getting a Visual Effect

3D models are extremely useful in communicating your ideas to others, but sometimes you find that the default appearance of your model isn’t exactly what you want. If you’re only in a schematic design stage, you may want your model to look more like a sketch instead of a finished product. Conversely, if you’re trying to sell someone on a concept, you may want a realistic look that includes materials and even special lighting.

AutoCAD provides a variety of ways to help you get a visual style, from a simple wireframe to a fully rendered image complete with chrome and wood. In the following sections, you’ll get a preview of what is available to control the appearance of your model. In Chapter 21, “Rendering 3D Drawings,” you’ll get an in-depth look at rendering and camera features that allow you to produce views from hand-sketched “napkin” designs to finished renderings.

Using Visual Styles

In the earlier tutorials in this chapter, you drew a box that appeared to be solid. When you then opened an existing file to extrude the unit plan into the third dimension, you worked in a wireframe view. These views are known as visual styles in AutoCAD. You used the default 3D visual style called Realistic when you drew the box. The unit plan used the default 2D Wireframe visual style that is used in the AutoCAD Classic style of drawing.

Sometimes, it helps to use a different visual style, depending on your task. For example, the 2D Wireframe visual style in your unit plan model can help you visualize and select things that are behind a solid. AutoCAD includes several shaded view options that can bring out various features of your model. Try the following exercises to explore some of the other visual styles:

You may have noticed a few other visual style options. Figure 19-38 shows a few of those options as they’re applied to a sphere. 2D Wireframe and Wireframe may appear the same, but Wireframe uses a perspective view and a background color, whereas 2D Wireframe uses a parallel projection view and no background color. Figure 19-39 shows the 3D room in the Sketchy visual style.

Creating a Visual Style

You can create your own visual style, though it is not an easy or straightforward process. You will need to use a set of system variables to set up a visual style, then use the VSSAVE command to save the visual style system variable settings.

If you feel adventurous and would like to try creating a visual style, you can study the visual style system variables in the AutoCAD for Mac Help website. Choose Help ⇒ AutoCAD Help, and then when you get to the AutoCAD for Mac Help page, choose Command Reference ⇒ System Variables. On the System Variables page, click V System Variables. Study the system variable whose name begins with VS.

Creating a visual style using the system variables may seem a bit primitive, but it is likely that a much easier method using a graphical interface, such as the one found in the Windows version, will appear in later versions of AutoCAD for Mac.

Turning a 3D View into a 2D AutoCAD Drawing

Many architectural firms use AutoCAD 3D models to study their designs. After a specific part of a design is modeled and approved, they convert the model into 2D elevations, ready to plug in to their elevation drawing.

If you need to convert your 3D models into 2D line drawings, you can use the Flatshot tool in the Section tool group.

Set up your drawing view, and then click the Flatshot tool in the Tool Sets palette or enter Flatshot↵ at the Command prompt to open the Flatshot dialog box (Figure 19-40).

Select the options you want to use for the 2D line drawing, and then click Create. Depending on the options you select, you’ll be prompted to select an insertion point or indicate a location for an exported drawing file. The 2D line drawing will be placed on the plane of the current UCS, so if you are viewing your model in a 3D view but you are in the world UCS, the 2D line drawing will appear to be projected onto the XY plane.

Flatshot offers the ability to place the 2D version of your model in the current drawing as a block, to replace an existing block in the current drawing, or to save the 2D version as a DWG file. Table 19-1 describes the Flatshot options in more detail.

Table 19-1: Flatshot options

Option	What It Does
Destination
Insert As New Block	Inserts the 2D view in the current drawing as a block. You’re prompted for an insertion point, a scale, and a rotation.
Replace Existing Block	Replaces an existing block with a block of the 2D view. You’re prompted to select an existing block.
Select Block	If Replace Existing Block is selected, lets you select a block to be replaced. A warning is shown if no block is selected.
Export To A File	Exports the 2D view as a drawing file.
Filename And Path	Displays the location for the export file. Click the Browse button to specify a location.
Foreground Lines
Color	Sets the overall color for the 2D view.
Linetype	Sets the overall linetype for the 2D view.
Obscured Lines
Show	Displays hidden lines.
Color	If Show is turned on, sets the color for hidden lines.
Linetype	If Show is turned on, sets the linetype for hidden lines. The Current Linetype Scale setting is used for linetypes other than continuous.
Include Tangential Edges	Displays edges for curved surfaces.

One very useful feature of Flatshot is that it can create a 2D drawing that displays the hidden lines of a 3D mechanical drawing. Turn on the Show option, and then select a linetype such as Hidden for obscured lines to produce a 2D drawing like the one shown in Figure 19-41.

The Bottom Line

Know the 3D modeling environment. When you work in 3D, you need a different set of tools from those for 2D drafting. AutoCAD offers the Modeling toolset on the Tool Sets palette, which provides the tools you need to create 3D models.

Master It Name some of the tool groups that are unique to the Modeling toolset on the Tool Sets palette.

Draw in 3D using solids. AutoCAD offers a type of object called a 3D solid that lets you quickly create and edit shapes.

Master It What does the Presspull command do?

Create 3D forms from 2D shapes. The Modeling toolset offers a set of basic 3D shapes, but other commands enable you to create virtually any shape you want from 2D drawings.

Master It Name the command that lets you change a closed 2D polyline into a 3D solid.

Isolate coordinates with point filters. When you’re working in 3D, selecting points can be a complicated task. AutoCAD offers point filters to let you specify the individual X, Y, and Z coordinates of a location in space.

Master It What does the .XY point filter do?

Move around your model. Getting the view you want in a 3D model can be tricky.

Master It Where is the menu that lets you select a view from a list of predefined 3D views?

Get a visual effect. At certain points in your model making, you’ll want to view your 3D model with surface colors and even material assignments. AutoCAD offers several ways to do this.

Master It What are the steps to take to change the view from Wireframe to Realistic?

Turn a 3D view into a 2D AutoCAD drawing. Sometimes, it’s helpful to convert a 3D model view into a 2D representation. AutoCAD offers the Flatshot command, which quickly converts a 3D view into a 2D line drawing.

Master It What type of object does Flatshot create?