How to Learn AutoCAD 2006
AutoCAD 2006 is a program you can use to design 3D objects including those requiring precise measurements (e.g. buildings and industrial machinery). Part of AutoCAD's name comes from the acronym for computer aided design (CAD). CAD programs for the PC first appeared in the early 1980's. In fact, AutoCAD was one of those early CAD programs. AutoCAD 2006 shouldn't present a great challenge for those eager to learn it, considering that the program's help system and user interface have evolved over AutoCAD's long lifetime.
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Instructions
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Open AutoCAD and begin creating a rectangle: Click inside the command prompt at the bottom of the screen. Then, type "rectangle."
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Enter "1" to indicate the rectangle's first point. Then, enter "A" to indicate you want to specify the rectangle's area.
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Enter "50" for the rectangle's area, then enter "L" to tell AutoCAD you want to enter the length of the rectangle. Enter "10" for the length. AutoCAD will draw the rectangle in the main window.
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Begin scaling the rectangle (make it bigger): Click anywhere on the rectangle's outline, then select the "Scale" item under the "Modify" menu heading.
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Click somewhere near the rectangle's center to specify the base point that AutoCAD will use to gauge the scale amount. Then, drag away from the center to increase the rectangle's size. Click again to end resizing.
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Re-shape the rectangle: Click the rectangle to select it, then click one of its blue points to display the "Dynamic Input Tool Tip" (a new command-entry feature in AutoCAD 2006). Notice the highlighted number--it's the length of one of the rectangle's sides.
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Type a different number over the highlighted number (e.g. half of the number), then press "Enter." The point you selected will move by the amount you specified.
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Change to a 3D view: Type "View" at the command prompt. Then, select "SW Isometric" from the list that appears. The isometric view is a type of 3D view that does not include perspective. Perspective is the visual phenomenon that makes parallel lines seem to come together the further the lines move away from you.
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Make the rectangle into a 3D object: Click anywhere on the rectangle to select it. Then, type "Extrude" at the command prompt. Enter "10" for the extrusion amount. Notice that the (2D) rectangle has expanded to become a 3D box.
Extrusion is the 3D modeling term for stretching a 2D shape into a 3D object.
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References
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