Chapter 7. Drawing Curves and Points

IN THIS CHAPTER

  • Drawing circles

  • Drawing arcs

  • Creating ellipses

  • Drawing donuts

  • Creating points

AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT offer a number of ways to create curved objects. You can draw circles, arcs, ellipses, and donuts (also spelled as doughnuts). In this chapter, I also cover point objects, which are neither curves nor lines but don't deserve their own chapter.

Note

Several complex objects — such as polylines, splines, regions, and boundaries — involve curves. These are covered in Chapter 16.

Drawing Circles

Circles are common objects in drawings. In mechanical drawings, they often represent holes or wheels. In architectural drawings, they may be used for doorknobs, trash baskets, or trees. In electrical and piping schematics, they are used for various kinds of symbols.

Understanding the circle options

Understanding the circle options

Table 7-1. Five Ways to Draw a Circle

Option

Description

Center Radius

This option is the default. Specify the center and then the radius. You can type the radius as a distance, or pick a point where you want the circumference to be.

Center Diameter

Specify the center. Choose the Diameter option and type the length of the diameter, or pick a point to specify the diameter.

2P

2P stands for two points. Choose the 2p option. Specify one point on the circumference, and then an opposite point on the circumference. These two points define the diameter of the circle.

3P

3P stands ...

Get AutoCAD® 2008 and AutoCAD LT® 2008 Bible now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.