Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Instead of pressing ↵ during the Direct Distance method, you can press the spacebar, or you
can right-click and choose Enter from the shortcut menu.
Now you have the outline of the tub. Notice that you don't have to enter the at sign (@) or angle
specification. Instead, you use the Direct Distance method to specify direction and distance. You
can use this method for drawing lines or moving and copying objects at right angles. The Direct
Distance method is less effective if you want to specify exact angles other than right angles.
BE CAREFUL WITH HYPHENS
When you enter feet and inches in the Command window, you must avoid hyphens or spaces. Thus,
2 feet 8 inches is typed as
2´ 8 ˝
. But be aware that hyphens are allowed when using the Direct
Distance method.
The keyboard aliases for some of the tools or commands you've used in this chapter are CO
(Copy), E (Erase), EL (Ellipse), F (Fillet), M (Move), O (Offset), and TR (Trim). Remember that
you can enter keyboard aliases only when the Command prompt is visible in the Command
Line palette.
Making a Preliminary Sketch
In this section, you'll see how planning ahead will make your use of AutoCAD more efficient.
When drawing a complex object, you'll often have to do some layout before you do the actual
drawing. This is similar to drawing an accurate pencil sketch using construction lines that
you later trace over to produce a finished drawing. The advantage of doing this in AutoCAD
is that your drawing doesn't lose any accuracy between the sketch and the final product. Also,
AutoCAD enables you to use the geometry of your sketch to aid in drawing. While you're plan-
ning your drawing, think about what you want to draw, and then decide which drawing ele-
ments will help you create that object.
You'll use the Offset command to establish reference lines to help you draw the inside of the
tub. This is where the Osnap overrides are useful. (See the sidebar “The Osnap Options” later in
this chapter.)
You can use the Offset tool on the Tool Sets palette to make parallel copies of a set of objects,
such as the lines forming the outside of your tub. Offset is different from the Copy command;
while Offset allows only one object to be copied at a time, it can remember the distance you
specify. The Offset option doesn't work with all types of objects. Only lines, arcs, circles, ellipses,
splines, and 2D polylines can be offset.
Standard lines are best suited to the layout of the bathtub in this situation. In Chapter 6,
“Editing and Reusing Data To Work Efficiently,” you'll learn about two other objects, construc-
tion lines and rays, that are specifically designed to help you lay out a drawing. In this exercise,
you'll use standard lines:
1.
Click the Offset tool in the Tool Sets palette, or type
O
↵.
2.
At the Specify offset distance or [Through/Erase/Layer] <Through>: prompt,
enter
3
↵. This specifies the distance of 3˝ as the offset distance. Metric users should enter
7
for 7 cm, which is roughly equivalent to 3˝.
