Beginning AutoCAD 2017. Cheryl R. Shrock

the following options are available AFTER you place the first corner of the Rectangle.

       AREA

      Creates a Rectangle using the AREA and either a LENGTH or a WIDTH. If the Chamfer or Fillet option is active, the area includes the effect of the chamfers or fillets on the corners of the rectangle.

      Example: A Rectangle with an Area of 6” [152.4 mm] and a Length of 2” [50.8 mm]

      1. Select the Rectangle command

      2. Place the first corner (P1)

      3. Type A <enter> for Area. (or click on blue “A”)

      4. Enter 6 [152.4] <enter> for the Area

      5. Select L <enter> for length option (or click on blue “L”)

      6. Enter 2 [50.8] <enter> for the length (The width will automatically be calculated)

       ROTATION

      You may select the desired rotation angle after you place the first corner and before you place the second corner. The base point (pivot point) is the first corner.

      Note: All new rectangles within the drawing will also be rotated unless you reset the rotation to 0. This option will not effect rectangles already in the drawing.

      Example: A Rectangle with a rotation angle of 45 degrees.

      1. Select the Rectangle command

      2. Place the first corner (P1)

      3. Type R <enter> for rotation. (or click on blue “R”)

      4. Enter 45 <enter>

      5. Place the diagonal corner (P2)

GRID and INCREMENT SNAP

      GRID is the criss-cross lines in the drawing area. The grid is only a drawing aid to assist you in aligning objects and visualizing the distances between them.

      The Grid will not plot. (Refer to page 1-13)

      INCREMENT SNAP controls the movement of the cursor. If it is OFF the cursor will move smoothly. If it is ON, the cursor will jump in an incremental movement. (Refer to page 1-13)

      The DRAFTING SETTINGS dialog box allows you to set INCREMENT SNAP and GRID spacing. You may change the Grid Spacing and Increment Snap at anytime while creating a drawing. The settings are only drawing aids to help you visualize the size of the drawing and control the movement of the cursor.

      1. Select DRAFTING SETTINGS by using one of the following:

       Keyboard = DS <enter>

       Status Bar = Right Click on SNAP or GRID button and select SETTINGS.

      2. The dialog box shown below will appear showing inch or metric units depending on whether you selected an inch or metric template.

      3. Select the “Snap and Grid” tab.

      4. Make your changes and select the OK button to save them.

      If you select the CANCEL button, your changes will not be saved.

LAYERS

      A LAYER is like a transparency. Have you ever used an overhead light projector? Remember those transparencies that are laid on top of the light projector? You could stack multiple sheets but the projected image would have the appearance of one document. Layers are basically the same. Multiple layers can be used within one drawing.

      The example, on the right, shows 3 layers.

      One for annotations (text), one for dimensions and one for objects.

       HOW TO USE LAYERS

      First you select the layer and then you draw the objects. Always select the layer first and then draw the objects.

      It is good “drawing management” to draw related objects on the same layer.

      For example, in an architectural drawing, you would select layer “walls” and then draw the floor plan.

      Then you would select the layer “Electrical” and draw the electrical objects.

      Then you would select the layer “Plumbing” and draw the plumbing objects.

      Each layer can then be controlled independently.

      If a layer is Frozen, it is not visible. When you Thaw the layer it becomes visible again. (Refer to the following pages for detailed instructions for controlling layers.)

       HOW TO SELECT A LAYER

      1. Go to Ribbon = Home tab / Layers panel

      2. Select the drop down arrow

      3. Highlight the desired layer and press the left mouse button.

      The selected layer becomes the “Current” layer. All objects will be located on this layer until you select a different layer.

       CONTROLLING LAYERS

      The following controls can be accessed using the Layer drop down arrow .

       ON or OFF

      If a layer is ON it is visible. If a layer is OFF it is not visible. Only layers that are ON can be edited or plotted.

       FREEZE or THAW

      Freeze and Thaw are very similar to On and Off. A Frozen layer is not visible and a Thawed layer is visible. Only thawed layers can be edited or plotted.

      Additionally:

      a. Objects on a Frozen layer cannot be accidentally erased

      b. When working with large and complex drawings, freezing saves time because frozen layers are not regenerated when you zoom in and out.

       LOCK or UNLOCK

      Locked layers are visible but cannot be edited.

      They are visible so they will be plotted.