AutoCAD® 2009 & AutoCAD LT® 2009 All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies®

Chapter 1. One-on-One Time with AutoCAD

Welcome to AutoCAD 2009 & AutoCAD LT 2009 All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies, your one-stop shop for AutoCAD users of every skill level. You've read this far, so I assume you know a thing or two about the world's most popular computer-aided drafting program — enough, at least, to know that computer-aided drafting usually goes by the much friendlier acronym of CAD.

AutoCAD 2009 & AutoCAD LT 2009 All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies is aimed at AutoCAD users in every discipline — architecture, mechanical design, mapping and GIS, product design, survey and civil engineering, diagramming . . . whatever your field, you find useful information here. I cover the entire CAD workflow process, not forgetting that 90 percent of the time, what you need to produce at the far end of the workflow is a clear and well laid-out paper drawing.

Reading about AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT is great, but without a good foundation you'll find it harder to understand other features. So roll up your sleeves because it's time to get your hands dirty — okay, get your mouse moving and keys pressing.

This chapter helps you with the basics of using AutoCAD by explaining how to set up a basic drawing, draw and edit objects, add text and dimensions, which are useful to communicate the design to others, and then print your first drawing, which will be suitable for hanging on your refrigerator. Figure 1-1 shows the cabinet that you'll create in this chapter.

Minibooks I and II will ...