Computer-Aided Drawing for Engineering Drawing

School of Engineering, UKZN

In 2012 the School of Engineering changed over to using AutoCAD as the primary
tool for teaching Computer-Aided Drawing (CAD). AutoCAD is a product of
Autodesk. This document serves as a teaching aid for lectures, as well as a quick
reference guide for the student.
AutoCAD is installed on all the computers in all Engineering LANs. If you wish to
install AutoCAD on your home PC or laptop, information on where to download
AutoCAD and how to obtain a student licence can be found on the UKZN
Engineering Drawing web page at http://learning.ukzn.ac.za.
It is important to keep in mind that drawing on the computer is very different to
drawing on the drawing board, even though the techniques such as Orthographic
Projection and Isometric Drawing are the same.
CAD software allows you to draw much more accurately and in much more detail
than you would be able to on a drawing board. This means that the marking of CAD
tutorials and the CAD exam is much stricter than for drawing board work, so be
aware of this when drawing in CAD.

Contents
The first section of this document shows the user interface of AutoCAD, and
describes how to navigate around this interface.
The second section goes through how to open the Engineering Drawing Template
and saving your drawing correctly from the start. It also describes how to do your
Final Save at the end of your CAD tutorials, and CAD exam.
The third section lists selection methods, the most commonly used modification
commands, dimensioning tools, and text editing tools, and briefly describes how to
use all of these.

The power of the F1 button

Another important feature for beginners is the built-in help function that software
possesses. This is one of the most useful functions of any software package, when
learning how to use it!

And another thing

The Ctrl-Z key combination is a quick way to undo something you didnt mean to do,
instead of having to click on the Undo button.

The User Interface

Description of the User Interface

In the top left hand corner is the Application Icon. Clicking on this icon a list of options will
drop down similar to that which you will find when clicking on the File button on a
windows program such as New, Open, Save, Save as, Print (in this case Plot), etc.

To the right of the Application Icon, are the quick access buttons. These are there for quick
and easy access, and include New, Open, Save, Save as, and Undo.

To the right of the quick access buttons is the dropdown menu for selecting the workspace
to draw in. The default is Drafting and Annotation, and should be left as default at all
times.

At the top right you will find the Help function bar. Here you can either type in a keyword or
phrase to search the online help or click on the Question mark on the right to browse the
online help files.

Directly below the quick access buttons and the workspace dropdown menu is the
Ribbon. The Ribbon consists of different Tabs each containing theme specific function
buttons. The most important Tabs to learn about are Home and Annotate.

Each Tab in the Ribbon contains functions specific to the theme of the Tab. For example,
the Home Tab contains most of the drawing functions and manipulation functions that you
will use to create your drawings.
If you leave your mouse pointer over any of the function buttons a short description of the
function appears, and if you leave your mouse in the same position for a short time longer
a more detailed explanation appears.
Many of the groups of functions have multiple implementations of the same function, e.g.
you can either draw a circle by specifying its diameter or its radius, and there are four
more options. To access these alternative implementations, click on the down arrows that
appear below or to the side of the function that you want to use. See below for illustration:

The main window either shows the Model space or a Layout. Selection between viewing
Model space or Layout is done at the bottom of the main window; by selecting either
Model or one of the other tabs (the Layouts can be renamed, but not the Model space):

As seen in the figure above the Command Line interface is above and to the right of the
Model and Layout tabs. The Command line gives constant feedback and instructions while
you are creating your drawing and using the functions.
WHENEVER YOU ARE NOT SURE WHAT TO DO NEXT WHILE IN A COMMAND:

CHECK THE COMMAND LINE!!

The Command line is always the first thing to check when you dont know what to do next.
On the right of the Main Window are the
navigation tools. At the top is the Navigation
Cube.

This is used primarily when drawing in 3D

so this is not important for our purposes.
Below the Navigation Cube however are
buttons for Panning (moving the drawing
around in the X-Y plane) and Zooming in
and out. The Pan tool is indicated by a
hand shape, and the Zoom tool is indicated
by a magnifying glass.
There are different Zoom options, such as
Zoom All, where you can zoom out to see
everything in the window, or Zoom
Window, where you can select a specific
area to fill the Main Window.
HINT #1: You can Zoom All by doubleclicking the wheel on your mouse.
HINT #2: You can zoom in and out by
rolling the wheel on your mouse.
HINT #3: You can pan around by holding
the mouse wheel down and moving the
mouse around.

Finally, right at the bottom of the screen there are Environment Settings that affect what
the Main window looks like, and turn different useful settings on and off.

The icons at the bottom right are not important for our purposes however some of the
buttons on the left are important to know what they do (When they are blue they are turned
on):
INFER: Can be left turned off at all times.
SNAP: When this button is on the mouse pointer snaps to the grid in the Model space.
GRID: When this button is on the grid is visible.
(GRID does not necessarily have to be turned on for SNAP to be active.)
ORTHO/POLAR: These two are exclusive to each other, if one is on the other must be off.
When ORTHO is on the mouse pointer can only move in the horizontal or vertical
directions when in a command/function.
When POLAR is on the mouse pointer can track specific angles when in a
command/function. The default is increments of 30 from the horizontal, however other
angles can be specified while POLAR is on, using the dynamic input.
OSNAP (Object SNAP): When this is turned on the mouse pointer will automatically snap
to line endpoints, intersections, and circle centres. This must always be turned on unless it
interferes with what you are trying to do at any specific time. (It can be turned on or off
while in a command/function.)
3DOSNAP: Is used when drawing in 3D, so it can be left turned off for our purposes.
OTRACK (Object TRACK): Tracks the endpoints of lines, intersections, circle centres, etc.
in orthogonal directions (Horizontal and vertical) when in a command/function. This is
useful for keeping orthographic projections in line. Can be left turned on, unless it
interferes with what you are trying to do at any specific time.
DUCS: Must be left turned on at all times.
DYN: Dynamic input for when working in a draw command to be able to input lengths and
angles or coordinates for start and end points of lines and circle centres. Should be left
turned on most of the time.
LWT: Should be left turned off at all times.
TPY: Should be left turned on at all times.
QP: Quick Properties; should be left turned off most of the time, unless you want to see
the properties of every object that you click on.
SC: Can be left turned off at all times.
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Opening the Engineering Drawing Template and saving your drawing correctly
When you start AutoCAD by double-clicking on the AutoCAD 2013 on the desktop the
first thing that will come up is the start-up window and once it is fully loaded a generic
drawing file will open by default, and a welcome window will appear.
Your first step is to close this welcome window and then close the initial drawing by
clicking on the Close button (the x just above the navigation cube, not the one in the top
corner of the screen, that one closes the whole program).

Your second step is to click on the Application Icon and then click on New. Alternatively,
you can click or the quick access button for New which looks like a blank page. Once
youve done either of these the Select template window will appear on your screen:

This window shows a list of templates to choose from in the default template folder. In this
list you must select the template named ENME1DR AutoCAD Template A4 and click
Open.
If this file is not in the default folder you must click on the dropdown list at the top of this
window and navigate to the following network location: K:\MechEng\Templates, to find
the correct template. (The computer you are working on must be connected to the
University network, and you must be logged in on your Microsoft account.)
To get to the above mentioned network location first click on ENG-Students (K:) in the
dropdown list and double-click on the next applicable folder in the path name until you get
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to the Templates folder, i.e. double-click on MechEng, then on Templates. This

template file is named: ENME1DR AutoCAD Template A4 with a .dwt file extension.
Follow the instructions that appear on the screen when this file is opened.
Saving your drawing correctly
You must do the following procedure as soon as you start each tutorial to make sure you
save your drawing in the correct place each time.
HINT #4: Once youve finished each tutorial it is a good idea to move the old file into a
folder inside your H:\ drive, to prevent filename conflicts in future tutorials.
To save your drawing all you have to do is click on the Application Icon in the top left
corner and click on Save. Alternatively, you can click on the quick access button that
looks like an old Floppy disk. The key combination Ctrl-S works even easier.
If it is the first time you are saving that particular drawing AutoCAD is going to ask you
where you want to save it, and to give the file a name. This window will appear:

Click on the drop-down menu next to where it reads Save in: in this window then select
the drive that shows your student number (This is your H:\ drive).
In the block next to where it says File name: change whatever it reads to your student
number, e.g. 212123456, then click on the Save button.
Once you have named your file and saved it in the correct location. Saving your progress
is done by simply clicking on the Floppy disk button or clicking on the Application Icon
and then clicking on Save, or by pressing Ctrl-S.

REMEMBER TO SAVE EVERY 5 MINUTES!!!

If you lose your progress due to power failure or your PC unexpectedly crashing or
restarting there is NOTHING we can do for you if you werent saving your work regularly.
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How to do your Final Save

1. Click on the Application Icon in the top left hand corner of the screen.
2. Click on Save as.
3. Click on the drop-down menu next to where it reads Save in: in the window that
appears.
4. Select the drive named ENG-Students (V:) (The K:\ drive, remember).
5. Navigate to the following directory:
K:\Drawing\
6. Click on Save, at the bottom right hand side of that window.
You must make sure to check on the big screen at the front of the LAN that you can see
your file in the list before you close your drawing and log off.
Important manipulation commands
The following commands are all included in the Home Tab on the Ribbon, as seen in the
User Interface screenshot on the second page of this document.
Before you learn how to manipulate objects you must learn how to select objects. There
are three ways to select objects in AutoCAD. The first is simply clicking on each object that
you want to select for whatever task at hand.
The other two ways are by drawing windows around the objects that you want to select.
The difference is how the windows function.
The first window is drawn from left to right and is blue with a solid white border. To draw
this window click in space to the left and above or below the objects that you want to select
and move your mouse diagonally across the objects and click on the diagonally opposite
side of the objects. You will see the window grow as you move your mouse.
When you draw this window only the objects that fall completely inside the window will be
selected.

The second window is drawn from right to left and is green with a dotted white border. To
draw this window click in space to the right and above or below the objects that you want
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to select and move your mouse diagonally across the objects until all the objects are inside
or touching the green window then click again.
When you draw this window all the objects that the window comes into contact with will be
selected.

Objects that are selected become dotted and blue squares appear at strategic places for
manipulating the parameters of each object individually.
* To deselect all objects you need to right-click your mouse and then click on Deselect All
in the list that appears. Or you can simply press Escape.
To move objects around the Model space, e.g. for adjusting the layout of your drawing,
you must select the objects to be moved, using one of the methods described above,
then select the Move command from the Modify section of the Home Tab. Once this is
done you must supply a base point for moving the objects. This can usually be a corner
of the centre of a circle, etc. Then you must supply the new position of the selected base
point.
To copy objects you must select the objects to be copied, using one of the methods
described above and then select the Copy command from the Modify section of the
Home Tab. Once this is done you must supply a base point for copying the objects. This
can usually be a corner of the centre of a circle, etc. Then you must supply the position
of the selected base point of the new copy of objects.
To rotate objects one follows the same procedure as for Move or Copy, with the only
difference being the selection of command from the Modify section of the Home Tab.
To trim an object to the intersection of another object, make sure nothing is selected,
then click on Trim in the Modify section. In the main window right-click anywhere in
space (this renders everything a trimming object), then click on the section of the object
that you want to trim away.
To extend an object to the nearest object in its projected path, make sure nothing is
selected, then click on the down arrow to the right of Trim, then click on Extend.
Select the object that you want to extend to, then press Enter. Now click on the
object that you want to extend.

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To chamfer a corner, i.e. make a sharp corner into an angled corner, click on Chamfer in
the Modify section of the Home Tab. Then press D on your keyboard (this stands for
Distance) and press Enter. Type in the desired distance of the first side, press Enter,
type in the desired distance of the second side (if different from the first) and press
Enter. Click the first side, then the second side, in the order that you specified the
distances. (If the distances were the same then the order doesnt matter.)
To fillet a corner, i.e. to make a sharp corner into a rounded corner, click on down arrow
to the right of Chamfer in the Modify section of the Home Tab, and click Fillet. Then
press R and Enter (the R stands for Radius). Type in the desired radius of your fillet
and press Enter. Finally, click the two side of the corner that you want to fillet.
To mirror objects about a specific axis, you need to have two selectable points on the
mirroring axis. Firstly, select the objects that you want to mirror by clicking on each one
or using one of the window selection methods. Secondly, click on Mirror in the Modify
section of the Home Tab. The selected objects will turn completely dotted. Then specify
the two points on the mirroring axis, or mirror line. The dynamic input will ask you if
you want to erase the source objects, press Enter for No, or type Y and then Enter
for yes.
To offset objects through a point or at a specific distance, click on Offset in the Modify
section of the Home Tab. You will be asked to specify the distance to offset, or select
the default, which is Through by pressing Enter. (Through means you will select the
point through which the new offset object will go.) To specify a distance simply type in the
desired distance once you have clicked the Offset button. Once youve done either of
these actions, you will be asked to select the object to be offset, click the desired object
to be offset. Then you will be asked to specify which side of the object to offset it to. Click
on the side you wish the new object to appear.
There are a few more commands in the Modify section; however these wont be used in
this course. If you wish to learn how to use these, feel free to experiment and refer to the
help documentation if you get stuck.
The concept of Layers
In AutoCAD one works with different Layers, instead of different pencils as on the drawing
board. Different Layers can have different colours line thicknesses and line styles. The
Layers available, in the Engineering Drawing template, are shown below as they appear in
the list in AutoCAD:

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On the left is the list in Model space, and on the right is the same list in the Layout. Notice
the change of colour from white in Model space to black in the Layout of some of the
Layers. This is simply because you wont be able to see the Layers in Model space if they
were drawn in black, so they appear white, however all Layers will be printed in black. The
difference will be visible though, due to the different line thicknesses and line styles. The
following is a table of Layers with their specifications and their usage:
Name
0

Colour
White/Black

Thickness
Default

Style
Continuous

Usage
NEVER
Centre lines and
Section lines

Centre line

White/Black

0.15 mm

Chain

Dimension line

White/Black

0.15 mm

Continuous

All dimensions

Hidden detail

White/Black

0.15 mm

Dashed

All hidden detail

Images
Outside line

White/Black
Red

N/A
0.40 mm

N/A
Continuous

Section line

Red

0.15 mm

Chain

NEVER
All outside lines
Section lines, with
added Outside lines at
end points and edges.

Text

White/Black

N/A

N/A

All text objects

Viewport

Blue

N/A

N/A

NEVER

Remember to always change to the correct Layer for the line

that you want to draw.
(Alternatively, you can draw the line first and then select it and change the Layer by
clicking on the drop-down list of Layers and selecting the correct Layer from the list.)

Annotations
The other important section in the Home Tab is the Annotation section. This contains the
most frequently used annotation functions, and more functions can be found in the
Annotate Tab on the Ribbon (in line with Home).
The most important functions that are included in the Annotation section are the
dimensioning functions. There are eight different types of dimensioning tools available;
however we will only use four, namely Linear, Angular, Radius, and Diameter. These are
accessed by clicking on the down arrow to the right of the visible dimensioning tool in the
Annotation section of the Home Tab (Alternatively, the down arrow below the visible
dimensioning tool in Dimensions section of the Annotate Tab).

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Notes can also be added to your drawing by using the Text command. This also appears
in both the Annotate section of the Home Tab, and the Annotate Tab, with its own section.
There are two options for entering text, one is Multiline Text, and the other is Single
Line Text. It doesnt matter which one you use for short notes however for longer notes
and in general it is better to use Multiline Text because for short notes the Multiline
Text function works exactly the same as the Single Line Text function.

Final word
Remember modern CAD software is very powerful. You can do much more with CAD than
you can with a drawing board, but there are no replacements for a good hand sketch, 3D
visualisation, and spatial awareness in graphical communication and engineering drawing.

Latest update 15 March 2013

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