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Inside AutoCAD 14

About the Authors

Michael E. Beall is the owner of Computer Aided Management and Planning in Shelbyville, KY, near Louisville. Mr. Beall offers contract services and professional training on AutoCAD as well as CAP and CAP.Spex from Sweets Group, a division of McGraw-Hill. He is the co-author of AutoCAD Release 13 for Beginners and Inside AutoCAD LT for Windows 95 from New Riders Publishing and author of AutoCAD Release 13 for Professional: Level I courseware for New Riders, certified for use at Autodesk Authorized Training Centers. Mr. Beall has been presenting CAD training seminars to architects and engineers since 1982 and is currently an instructor at the University of Louisville ATC. As owner of the former Computer Training Services in San Jose, CA, Mr. Beall developed a highly successful six-month Architecture and Facility Planning program for re-entry adults at The Copper Connection, an ATC in Santa Clara, CA. He now offers contract services and training exclusively on AutoCAD and products from Sweet's Group, the leading furniture specification software for use with AutoCAD. He received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Cincinnati and is an Affiliate member of the International Facility Manager's Association.

Bill Burchard is a CAD systems specialist with David Evans & Associates. He has been in the civil engineering business for 20 years. He has extensive experience in computer modeling and applications for civil engineering projects, including plan preparation, technical publications, engineering design, FMS/GIS systems, 3D modeling, 3D photo- realistic renderings, and 3D animations. Additionally, Mr. Burchard is a registered Autodesk author/ publisher, and is a consulting author and technical editor with New Riders Publishing. In these capacities, he has worked on several book projects regarding the use of AutoCAD, including Inside AutoCAD Release 13c4 and AutoCAD Performance Tuning Toolkit. Mr. Burchard is also a contributor to Inside AutoCAD, a monthly newsletter published by the COBB Group.

Jojo Guingao has over 10 years of consulting, application development, training, and support experience in the CAD industry. He is the Technical Account Manager for the Product Support and Services Group at Autodesk and is considered an in-house expert on Autodesk Data management applications such as AutoCAD Data Extension (ADE), AutoCAD SQL Environments (ASE), and Autodesk WorkCenter.

As a Technical Account Manager, Jojo is responsible for managing Autodesk strategic accounts such as Ford, Southwestern Bell, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and U.S. Navy Facilities Projects. Before coming to Autodesk, Jojo was an Application Programmer with Softdesk, Inc., where he worked on a project for Pella Designer, Silver Catalog, and Fleetwood Project. His experience also includes working as a CAD consultant for several Autodesk Resellers in Silicon Valley and Saudi Arabia.

Jojo hold a B.S. in electronics and Communications Engineering from Mapua Institute of Technology in Manila, Philippines.

Michael Todd Peterson is currently an instructor at Pellissippi State Community College, an ATC. He previously taught at the University of Tennessee College of Architecture. Todd also owns MTP graphics, a rendering and animation firm that specializes in architectural visualization and mulitmedia. In addition to this book, Mr. Peterson has authored or co-authored Inside AutoCAD for DOS, 3D Studio for Beginners, 3D Studio Max Fundamentals, Inside AutoCAD Release 13c4, Windows NT for Graphics Pro, and AutoCAD in 3D.

David M. Pitzer is an AutoCAD instructor and consultant. He currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at Santa Rosa Junior College in Santa Rosa, CA, where he teaches AutoCAD Customization, AutoLISP, and 3D Modeling and Rendering. Mr. Pitzer is a Contributing Editor of CADalyst Magazine where his articles frequently appear. His articles have also appeared in CADENCE magazine and the AutoCAD Tech Journal. He has been a lecturer at Autodesk University on two occasions. He was a co-author of Inside AutoCAD Release 13 for Windows and Inside AutoCAD Release 13c4, served as technical editor for AutoCAD Performance Tuning Toolkit and as development editor for Inside AutoCAD LT for Windows 95, all published by New Riders Publishing, and is currently serving as technical editor for two other AutoCAD books. He currently serves as an officer with the Sonoma County AutoCAD Users' Group. He has been writing about and using AutoCAD since 1987. Mr. Pitzer received a Bachelor of Science degree from The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., and makes his home in the wine country north of San Francisco, CA.

Mark Sage has been an employee with Autodesk for over eight years. Mr. Sage currently serves as a Product Manager for AutoCAD. At Autodesk, Mark has managed various aspects of AutoCAD components through five product development cycles beginning with Release 10. Along with his AutoCAD responsibilities, Mark is the Product Manager for the AutoCAD Release 13 Internet Publishing kit, WHIP! and the AutoCAD Internet Utilities. Mr. Sage's involvement with AutoCAD is extensive, dating back to 1983. Mark recalls selling one of the earliest releases of the product--AutoCAD version 1.02--for a Victor 9000 running CPM/86!

Surya Sarda is the Program Manager for ActiveX Automation and VBA at Autodesk, Inc. He is a veteran of nine years at Autodesk, Inc. Before working on ActiveX Automation, he was involved with the MCAD division and worked on AME, AutoSurf, and Designer products. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering. You can reach him at [email protected].

Craig W. Sharp, AIA, is an architect with over 24 years of international exper-ience. He is an author and lecturer on the use of computers in architecture and daily faces the challenge of producing projects on a computer. He is prin-cipal with Motley + Associates in Roan-oke, VA, an architectural, interior design, and planning firm that specializes in educational facility design. He has been using AutoCAD since version 2.1.

Francis Soen is an independent AutoCAD Consultant serving Pittsburgh and the surrounding tri-state area. With more than 14 years of experience working with AutoCAD, Francis provides customized training, LISP and menu customization services, network and drawing management services, and database programming expertise. Mr. Soen has been a co-author on several AutoCAD books. As an instructor at the Authorized AutoCAD Training Center at the Community College of Allegheny County, he has provided training to many members of the Pittsburgh CAD community. With degrees in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University and UC Berkeley, Mr. Soen has developed an expertise in using AutoCAD for civil engineering, AEC applications, and Digital Terrain Modeling. Francis can be contacted through CompuServe at 73232,760 or by phone at 412-922-0412, and is always happy to hear from other local users.

Don Spencer is the Senior Partner for the VisualiZation Group, a consulting partnership specializing in design, visualization, and training with Autodesk products. He is also Director of Technical Development for Digitoe, Inc., computerized Footwear Systems, and Autodesk Registered Application Developer for the footwear industry. He is currently serving as Education & Training Industry Chair on the Autodesk User Group International Board of Directors. He is an Autodesk Training Center Manager and has been teaching AutoCAD, AutoCAD Designer, AutoSurf, and related AutoCAD, rendering, and animation courses for ATCs, colleges, and industry for seven years. He has 18 years of manufacturing, drafting, 3D design, and consulting experience, the last nine years using Autodesk products.

Trademark Acknowledgments

All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. New Riders Publishing cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark. AutoCAD is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc.

Introduction

AutoCAD is a software phenomenon; its users far outnumber those of any other CAD system. Since its introduction, AutoCAD has grown from a micro-curiosity to a full-fledged CAD system by any set of standards. AutoCAD also has grown from a relatively simple program to a large and complex one, but do not be intimidated by its size and complexity. More than one million designers and drafters have learned to use AutoCAD with the help of Inside AutoCAD, the best-selling AutoCAD book for more than 10 years.

Inside AutoCAD 14 is your guide to a significant step in the evolution of AutoCAD: AutoCAD Release 14. Because AutoCAD Release 14 utilizes the flexibility of Windows, it offers you a far more productive design environment and interface than AutoCAD under DOS, and includes several advanced features not available in the DOS version.

Inside AutoCAD 14 is organized to be of primary benefit to professional AutoCAD users--those who use AutoCAD on a regular basis in the course of their work. It assumes some understanding of the AutoCAD and Windows user interfaces, and aims at sharpening the skills you need to grow as a professional AutoCAD user.

AutoCAD Release 14 has over 100 new features and improvements in it, including raw performance, drawing productivity, presentation-quality drawings, enhanced data sharing, improved customization, and management tools. Inside AutoCAD 14 provides extensive coverage of these new features and includes information on integrating the new features with the old. This book provides real-world examples, tips, and tricks to help you be more productive and more competitive in your job.

How This Book Is Organized

Inside AutoCAD 14 is designed to help you master AutoCAD and sharpen the professional skills you need to use AutoCAD effectively and efficiently, beyond simply understanding the basics of the program. To accomplish this goal, the book is organized into parts, each of which covers a specific group of concepts and operations. Each part is a collection of related chapters, presented more or less in order of increasing complexity.

Part I: Introducing AutoCAD Release 14

Part I brings you up-to-speed on the new interface changes and tools introduced in Release 14. It is a quick introduction to the newest AutoCAD release.

Part II: Starting New Projects with R14

To gain the competitive edge over other drafters and designers, you must have an organized working environment. Part II lays the groundwork for planning and organizing projects, setting up the drawing environment, and using layers and linetypes to manage your drawings. When you complete Part II, you will have your AutoCAD system tuned to your design and drafting needs so you can begin drawing more productively.

Part III: Creating and Editing Drawings

Part III covers the creation and editing of your drawings--the core of AutoCAD. Each chapter builds upon the previous one to help you build and reinforce your skill set. Learn how to create and edit blocks, complex objects, polylines, splines, and more. This section not only provides the techniques but also includes tips and tricks from AutoCAD experts on how to use these techniques more effectively, giving you the competitive advantage.

Part IV: Annotating, Dimensioning, and Plotting with R14

The details make the drawing. Part IV discusses the details of text annotation, dimensioning, hatch patterns, and plotting. Learn techniques that save time and effort, and give high-quality, professional results.

Part V: Customization and Advanced Concepts

Part V takes you to the next level with AutoCAD 14 by presenting customization techniques for your workstation and drawings. Part V also presents the powerful, advanced features of AutoCAD, including 3D, AutoLISP, ActiveX, AutoCAD SQL Environment (ASE), scripts, and slide libraries.

Part VI: CAD on the Internet

The latest vehicle of collaborative drafting is the Internet. Part VI investigates the newest features of AutoCAD that enable you to work with colleagues over the web and on the Internet. Instead of being frustrated with the web, use it to your advantage with tools and techniques presented in Part VI.

Part VII: Reference Materials

Inside AutoCAD 14 is equipped with three appendices and two reference indices. Appendix A covers the AutoCAD 14 Bonus Pack. It includes detailed information on the Bonus Pack as well as tutorials that will help you master the Bonus Pack. Appendix B is the System Variables reference and Appendix C is the Dimensioning Variables reference. Use these handy references to save time and effort. Appendix D, the exercise index, lists the title and page number of every exercise in the book.

Chapter Exercises

Each part of Inside AutoCAD 14 contains hands-on, real-world exercises that demonstrate each technique or command being discussed. These exercises not only enable you to gain familiarity with the Release 14 interface and commands, but they serve to reinforce the discussion in the text. Each exercise strives to bring you one more step ahead of your competition by including tips and tricks from industry leaders and experienced CAD professionals.

The exercises are set up as numbered steps. By following along through the steps and using the explanatory text and figures for support, you will increase your efficiency and effectiveness with AutoCAD.

You should save your drawings when instructed to help you build a habit of saving drawings at regular intervals. If you want to proceed at a leisurely pace, you can save and close your drawing whenever you see the save instruction and reload your drawing later.

If you just read the text and exercises and look at the illustrations, you will learn a great deal about the program. But if you want to gain a greater mastery of AutoCAD, you need to sit down at your computer and work through the exercises.

Special Sidebars

Inside AutoCAD 14 features special sidebars that are set apart from the normal text as follows. This book includes four distinctive types of sidebars: Notes, Insider Tips, Warnings, and New for R14. These passages have been given special treatment so that you can instantly recognize their significance and easily find them for future reference.

NOTE: A Note includes extra information you should find useful. A Note might describe special situations that can arise when you use AutoCAD under certain circumstances, and might tell you what steps to take when such situations arise.

TIP: An Insider Tip provides quick instructions for getting the most from your AutoCAD system. Often these tips will be written in first person because the author is imparting special information that he has gained after many years of experience of AutoCAD use. An Insider Tip might show you how to speed up a procedure, or how to perform one of many time-saving and system-enhancing techniques.

WARNING: A Warning tells you when a procedure can be dangerous--that is, when you run the risk of a serious problem or error, even losing data or crashing your system. Warnings generally tell you how to avoid such problems or describe the steps you can take to remedy them.

The New for R14 icon appears whenever the text describes a feature that is new to AutoCAD Release 14. This icon is present to help upgraders master the new features quickly, and to point out to users the increased benefits of the latest release of AutoCAD.

New Riders Publishing

The staff of New Riders Publishing is committed to bringing you the very best in computer reference material. Each New Riders book is the result of months of work by authors and staff who research and refine the information contained within its covers.

As part of this commitment to you, New Riders invites your input. Please let us know if you enjoy this book, if you have trouble with the information and examples presented, or if you have a suggestion for the next edition.

Please note, however: New Riders staff cannot serve as a technical resource for AutoCAD or for questions about software- or hardware-related problems. Please refer to the documentation that accompanies your software or to the application's Help systems.

If you have a question or comment about any New Riders book, there are several ways to contact New Riders Publishing. We will respond to as many readers as we can. Your name, address, or phone number will never become part of a mailing list or be used for any purpose other than to help us continue to bring you the best books possible.

You can write us at the following address:

New Riders Publishing
Attn: Publisher
201 W. 103rd Street
Indianapolis, IN 46290

If you prefer, you can fax New Riders Publishing at 317-817-7448.

You can also send electronic mail to New Riders at the following Internet address:

[email protected]

New Riders Publishing is an imprint of Macmillan Computer Publishing. To obtain a catalog or information, or to purchase any Macmillan Computer Publishing book, call 800-428-5331 or visit our web site at http://www.mcp.com.

Thank you for selecting Inside AutoCAD 14!

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