AutoCAD® 2008 and AutoCAD LT® 2008 Bible

Quick Start: Drawing a Window

Learning AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT is a bit like trying to decide which came first — the chicken or the egg. On one hand, you need to know the basics before you can start drawing. On the other hand, understanding the basics can be very difficult if you haven't had the experience of drawing something. In this Quick Start chapter, you resolve this problem by drawing, dimensioning, and printing a simple window in AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT.

This Quick Start chapter is meant for beginners. You'll get the feel of AutoCAD's precision drawing tools and experience how to build a drawing. The AutoCAD/AutoCAD LT interface, including the toolbars and menus, is very customizable. Note that the instructions for the exercise in this chapter assume that no one has made major changes to the default settings.

Chapter 1 through 5 fill you in on basic information that you need to move on to drawings that are more complex. By experiencing the drawing process first, you will find the initial learning curve to be easier and smoother.

Note

Don't worry if you don't immediately understand everything you're doing. It all becomes clear as you progress through this book. If you haven't read the Preface, now is a good time to go back and read the part that explains how to follow the exercises. When you type the X and Y coordinates (shown in bold), type the first number, a comma, and then the second number, with no spaces between them. The

1. Start AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT.

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