Beginning AutoCAD 2015. Cheryl R. Shrock

(You may also use Ctrl+0 to toggle ON or OFF)

      When Clean Screen is selected it will hide all tool palettes, windows and ribbons from the screen leaving you with a larger drawing area to work with. You can restore all the palettes, windows and ribbons by selecting the Clean screen tool button again.

       FLOATING COMMAND LINE

      When you first start AutoCAD, and if the software has not been modified, the Command Line will be displayed at the bottom of the screen, as shown below.

      This is where AutoCAD will prompt you for information and you will enter commands, values and select options. Basically this is how you communicate with AutoCAD.

      You may “dock” the command line at the top or bottom of the AutoCAD window or let it float in the drawing area.

      To move the command line, place the cursor on the left end grip, press the left mouse button and drag the command line to a desired location.

      To “dock” the command line drag it to the top or bottom of the drawing area. It will snap to the edge. You can’t dock the command line to the sides.

      You may also drag it below the drawing area as shown below.

      Note: You may toggle the Command Line ON and OFF using Ctrl + 9.

       COMMAND LINE

       How to enter a command on the Command Line.

      1.Type the first letter of a command, such as c for circle.

      2.A list of commands that begin with the letter c will appear. Select the desired command from the list.

      3.When you enter a command such as Circle, the prompt and options will be displayed on the command line.

      4.The prompt for Circle command asks you to:

      “Specify center point for circle” or [ 3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius) ]:

      Clickable options are displayed in blue. Options displayed in Black must be typed or selected from the option menu.

       This will be discussed more in Lesson 2. Or for more advanced Command Line options, see Appendix-D.

       FLOATING COMMAND LINE

       Command and Prompt history

      As you enter commands AutoCAD records them as “history”. You may display this history by pressing F2 or the up arrow at the right hand end of the command line.

       Command Line tools

      Recent commands tool displays recently selected commands.

      Customize tool allows you to select options for the AutoComplete by selecting ‘Input Settings’. You can also control how many lines of history are displayed and the degree of transparency for the Command Line.

       DYNAMIC INPUT

      Dynamic Input is another method of inputting commands, values and selecting options.

      To use Dynamic Input you must turn ON the Dynamic Input button in the Status Bar, shown on page 1-14.

      If you choose to use Dynamic Input the command will be entered in the tooltip box beside the cursor.

       How to enter a command using Dynamic Input.

      1.Place the cursor in the Drawing Area.

      2.Type the first letter of a command, such as c for circle.

      3.A list of commands that begin with the letter c will appear. Select the command from the list.

      4.If you press the down arrow the options will appear below the prompt.

      Notice the command entry is being displayed on the command line also.

      Using the Command Line or Dynamic Input is your choice.

       This will be discussed more in Lesson 2. Or for more advanced Command Line options, see Appendix-D.

       DRAWING AREA

      The Drawing Area is the large open area of the screen. This is where you will draw. Consider this your paper.

      The color of this area can be changed using Options / Display tab / Color

       ORIGIN Icon

      The Origin icon or UCS icon indicates the location of the Origin.

      The Origin is where the coordinates X, Y and Z originate.

      The X and Y coordinates for the Origin is 0, 0.

      This will be discussed more in future Lessons.

       CURSOR

      The Cursor is located within the Drawing Area. The movement of the pointing device, such as a mouse, controls the movement of the cursor.

      You will use the cursor to locate points, make selections and draw objects.

      The size can be changed using Options / Display tab / Crosshair Size.

       INFOCENTER

      The InfoCenter is a tool to search for information. It is located in the upper right corner of the screen.

       Search Box

      The InfoCenter allows you to search for information by typing key words or a question in the “Help Box”. After typing press <enter>