Creating AutoCAD text style

In AutoCAD you can define many different text styles that will set unique fonts, sizes, angles, orientations and other characteristics. To create a text style:

Method 1:

In AutoCAD, go to Format. Select Text Style. When the Text style dialogue box appears:
1. You can either select Standard style or create a new style.
2. Enter the name for your new style.
3. Select a Font Name and Style from the drop down menu.
4. Check the Annotative box if you want annotation text.
5. Enter the Text Height for your style. This is the size of the text that will be displayed each time you apply your style.
6. Enter a Width Factor.
7. Click Apply.
You can edit the style at any time by repeating the steps above.

Method 2:

Select the text style symbol from the format menu or type Style in the command line.
1. You can either select Standard style or create a new style.
2. Enter the name for your new style.
3. Select a Font Name and Style from the drop down menu.
4. Check the Annotative box if you want annotation text.
5. Enter the Text Height for your style. This is the size of the text that will be displayed each time you apply your style.
6. Enter a Width Factor.
7. Click Apply.

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How to Creating CAD block

To Create Blocks Within a Drawing:

1. From the Draw menu, choose Block Make. Or type BLOCK in the command line.
   
2. At the prompt of the Block Definition dialog box, enter a block name in the Name box.
   
3. Under Objects, select Convert to Block.
   Disregard the other options. As selecting delete will erase the original objects used to create the block definition in your drawing, so make sure the Delete option is not selected.
   
4. Choose Select Objects.
   
5. Use your mouse to select the objects to be included in the block. Then press ENTER or the Space bar to complete object selection.
   
6. Under Base Point, choose Pick point or Specify on-screen and use your mouse device to specify the block insertion point. You can also enter the X,Y,Z coordinate of the point manually (but not recommend).
   
7. In the Description box, enter a description for the block. This will be displayed in AutoCAD Design Center. (Optional).
   
8. Under Behavior, check Allow exploding if you want to disassemble them later.
   
9. Select OK to close the block definition dialogue box.
   

Now your CAD block is defined in the current drawing and can be inserted at any time.

To create Drawing Files for Use as Blocks (Wblock):

There are two methods you can use to create a Wblock:
A. Open a new file and create a block, then use SAVE or SAVE AS to complete drawing file.
B. Create a new drawing file from selected objects

1. Open an existing drawing or create a new drawing containing the objects to be converted into block.
   
2. In the Command prompt, enter WBLOCK.
   
3. In the Write Block dialog box, choose Select Objects.
   
4. Use your mouse to select the objects to be included in the new Wblock. Then Press ENTER or the space bar to complete object selection.
   
5. Under Base Point, choose pick point or Specify on-screen and use your mouse device to specify the block insertion point or specify the XYZ coordinate to be (0,0,0).
   
6. Under Destination, enter a file name or browse to the directory where you want to save the new block.
   
7. Select OK to close the Write block definition dialogue box.
   

Now your block is created in a separate drawing file and can be inserted at any time.

NB: You can create a single block that contains multiple blocks within itself. They are called Nested blocks. For example, block A has two block components: block 1, 2. All you have to do is select multiple blocks when you are selecting the objects.

The only restriction on nested blocks is that a block cannot coexist within itself. For example, block A cannot contain block A again.

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How to create a Table

 

Steps to create a simple table:

1. Type “TABLE” in the command line or select from the Draw toolbar.
2. Select Standard for table style unless you have a custom or template table already made.
3. Select “Start from empty table”.
4. Specify an insertion point or specify a window where you want the table to be located in drawing.
5. Enter the number column.
6. Specify the column width.
7. Enter the number of rows.
8. Specify the row height.
9. Set the styles for the rows. Choose in which row you want the header, title and data to be placed.
See figure below.

Steps to create a simple table from a data link:

1. Type “TABLE” in the command line or select from the Draw toolbar.
2. Select the “From a data link“ for insert options.
3. Click the data link manager icon to launch the manager dialogue.
4. Select “Create a new Excel Data Link”.
5. Enter a name for your linked data.
6. Browse for the Excel data file location.
7. Select the excel file you wish to link.
8. Click ”Open”.
9. Choose whether you want to link the entire sheet, a named range or a range from the sheet.
10. Check the “Preview” box to see the table you are about to link.

11. Click “OK” on all windows to finish and close.

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How to create a Layers

Steps to create a layer:

1. Type LAYER in the command line or select from the layer toolbar.
2. By default AutoCAD will name the layer “layer1”.
3. Double click and rename it.

4. In the right column you can assign color, line type to the layer, freeze or thaw it.
5. Select the object in the drawing to which the layer will be assigned.
6. Click on the layer icon bar and select the appropriate layer.

Filters

Filters are good if you have multiple layers and you want to see certain layers with common properties. For example, you can filter all layers that have the color blue or names including the word “HVAC”.

To create a new filter:

1. Click on the very first button on the top left side above the tree navigation and renamed it.

Within the filter dialogue you can double click below any column. For example, you want to create a filter for all layers with the color blue.
2. Double click below the color column and select the blue color.

Group filter

You can use the layer group filter to group layers that you define regardless of their properties.

To create a new group filter:

1. Click on the second button on the top left side above the tree navigation.


2. Drag the layers you want to group from the right side to the group filter on the left.


We only covered a few procedures, but there are many more advantages for using layers.

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How to add fillet

1. Open a new drawing. Click New
2. Make sure Ortho mode is ON, (it ON when it glow in blue)

click the icon to turn it ON or OFF. (or press F8 to toggle)
3. Type z [Space bar], e [Space bar]. This will zoom extents your drawing area.
4. Activate rectangle command. Click Rectangle.

5. Specify first corner point of the rectangle at 0,0. Type 0,0 [Enter].

6. Move your cursor to right side and specify other corner point at 10,6. Type 10,6 [Enter].

7. On ribbon tools, modify click Fillet.

8. Look at command line status;

After command fillet executed, the current fillet status show the current radius fillet is 0.0
9. Type R [Enter] to specify new fillet radius.

10. Specify fillet radius to 1, type 1 [Enter].

11. Click on first edge of fillet.

12. Click on second edge of the fillet.

13. Press [Enter] to confirm.

14. Repeat step 7 to 13 to fillet other 3 edges.

15. Press [Esc] key few times to end Fillet command.

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How to draw plate with hole

In this autocad tutorial we will sketch a plate with single hole.
.
1. Open a new drawing. Click New
2. Make sure Ortho mode is ON, (it ON when it glow in blue)

click the icon to turn it ON or OFF. (or press F8 to toggle)
3. Type z [Space bar], e [Space bar]. This will zoom extents your drawing area.
4. Activate rectangle command. Click Rectangle.

5. Specify first corner point of the rectangle at 0,0. Type 0,0 [Enter].

6. Move your cursor to right side and specify other corner point at 10,6. Type 10,6 [Enter].

7. Right click at Object Snap Tracking (1) and click Midpoint (2) to activate Midpoint object snap.

8. Click line and draw a cross line from left to right. Point your cursor at mid point of rectangle.

When cursor change to green triangle shape click on it. That point is midpoint of left vertical line.
9. Move your cursor to right edge midpoint, move cursor until it change to green triangle shape click on it.

Your sketch should look like this;

10. Click CIRCLE, point the center point of the circle at mid point of previous line.

When cursor change to green triangle, click on it.
11. Specify radius of the circle to 2. Type 2 [Enter].

12. Click on middle line of the rectangle. Press [Delete] key.


Your top view is ready.

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How to dimension simple plate

In this autocad tutorial we will dimension this simple L plate from last tutorial.
1. First you need layer in your drawing. How to create layer?
If you already know how to create layer, make sure you have at least DIM layer.
2. This is our sketch look like from last tutorial.

3. Make sure DIM layer is selected.

3. From AutoCAD ribbon, Annottation tools click Linear for linear dimensioning.

4. Click at bottom left corner Endpoint of the sketch.

5. Click at bottom right corner Endpoint of the sketch.

6. Click at drawing to specify gap between drawing and dimension.

7. Repeat step 3 – 6 for other edges. And you final drawing should look like this;

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