AutoCAD 2014 Essentials: Autodesk Official Press

Learn AutoCAD Quickly and Easily Master the fundamentals of Autodesk's powerhouse architectural, engineering, and construction software with this practical, task-based guide. Using straightforward explanations, hands-on exercises, and full-color screenshots and examples, AutoCAD 2014 and AutoCAD LT 2014 Essentials gets you quickly up to speed on AutoCAD's core features and functions. In addition, you'll gain a solid understanding of 3D design concepts and real-world techniques that will elevate your drawing skills. This updated new edition covers the new geolocation feature and also helps you prepare for the AutoCAD certification exams. Learn these AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT essentials—and more: 2D drawing basics—lines, circles, arcs, fillets, and more Editing entities and shaping curves Organizing objects with blocks, groups, and xrefs Locating your project in the real world using geolocation Drawing and manipulating objects in 3D space Applying dimension styles and adding constraints Using 3D toolsets to build and document 3D models Creating photorealistic renderings and dynamic walkthroughs Learn how to draw and manipulate objects, blocks, and hatches Create beautiful photorealistic renderings of 3D models This striking Essentials book features: Chapter-opening learning objectives Step-by-step tutorials Full-color screenshots and illustrations Concise chapter summaries and suggested practice exercises Downloadable exercise files

Chapter 1 Get ting Started 1 Chapter 2 Basic Drawing Skills 15 Chapter 3 Using Drawing Aids 41 Chapter 4 Editing Entities 57 Chapter 5 Shaping Curves 85 Chapter 6 Controlling Object Visibility and Appearance 105 Chapter 7 Organizing Objects 129 Chapter 8 Hatching and Gradients 153 Chapter 9 Working with Blocks and Xrefs 171 Chapter 10 Creating and Editing Text 193 Chapter 11 Dimensioning 207 Chapter 12 Keeping In Control with Constraints 227 Chapter 13 Working with Layouts and Annotative Objects 241 Chapter 14 Printing and Plotting 263 Chapter 15 Working with Data 289 Chapter 16 Navigating 3D Models 317 Chapter 17 Modeling in 3D 337 Chapter 18 Presenting and Documenting 3D Design 365 Appendix Autodesk AutoCAD 2014 Certif ication 389 Index 397

Scott Onstott is a consultant, lecturer, author, and independent video producer with 15 years of experience teaching and writing about architectural and design visualization software. He is the author of the two previous editions of AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Essentials and Enhancing Architectural Drawings and Models with Photoshop , and coauthor of AutoCAD: Professional Tips and Techniques .