AutoCAD 2010 For Dummies

AutoCAD is the hot computer-aided design software known for both its powerful tools and its complexity. AutoCAD 2010 for Dummies is the bestselling guide that walks you through this complicated program so you can build complex 3D technical drawings, edit like a pro, enter new dimensions, and plot with style.

AutoCAD 2010 for Dummies helps you navigate the program, use the AutoCAD Design Center, create a basic layout and work with dimension, and put your drawings on the Internet. You’ll soon be setting up the AutoCAD environment, using the AutoCAD Ribbon, creating annotation and dimension drawings, exploring 3D models, and cruising comfortably through AutoCAD 2010.

• Understand object selection and learn all about commanding and selecting, one-by-one selection, and perfecting selecting
• Use the AutoCAD tool kit and learn to copy between drawings, manipulate images, and polish your properties
• Turn on your annotative objects and say more in multiline text
• Understand the anatomy of a dimension, then draw and edit your own
• Get up to speed on how to create block definitions, insert blocks, and more
• Discover techniques for setting up a layout in paper space
• Push the boundary of hatch and define hatch objects
• Learn to design in Web format and draw on the Internet

With AutoCAD, the only limits are your imagination. AutoCAD 2010 for Dummies prepares you to use this powerful software to design and document your ideas in 2D and 3D.

Build complex drawings, edit like a pro, enter new dimensions, and plot with style

With AutoCAD, the only limit is your imagination! This powerful software gives you the tools to design and document your ideas, and here's the bestselling guide to show you how. You'll soon be setting up the AutoCAD environment, using the AutoCAD Ribbon, creating annotation and dimension drawings, and more!

• Manage your properties — from stacking up and manipulating layers to using named objects and the AutoCAD DesignCenter
• Get a grip on object selection — learn all about commanding and selecting, one-by-one selection, and perfecting selecting
• Take advantage of the AutoCAD tool kit — discover how to copy between drawings, manipulate images, and polish your properties
• Create text with character — find out how to turn on your annotative objects and say more in multiline text
• Explore new dimensions — understand the anatomy of a dimension and then draw and edit your own
• Build your blocks — get up to speed on creating static and dynamic blocks, defining attributes, inserting blocks, and more
• Bring it to the Web — gain a better understanding of the Internet and AutoCAD so you can share your work

Open the book and find:

• Techniques for setting up a layout in paper space
• Tips on object selection and using grips
• How to move, copy, and stretch
• Why to use dimensions in CAD
• Ways to push the hatch boundary and define hatch objects
• Sixteen steps for achieving plotting success
• How to use constraints to automate revisions
• Real-world tips to raise your level of AutoCAD expertise

David Byrnes is a senior civil engineer and structural drafter with a major international engineering company. He taught CAD and 3D modeling at the Emily Carr University of Art & Design for 15 years and has contributed to or coauthored more than a dozen AutoCAD books.