AutoCAD® 2011 & AutoCAD LT® 2011 Bible

Chapter 5. Setting Up a Drawing

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Determining the unit type

• Setting the drawing size

• Working with drawing scales

• Adding a titleblock

• Understanding system variables

• Automating setup

Often, the first step after you start a new drawing is to set its size and unit type. These and other setup options are discussed in this chapter. The entire process of setting up a drawing is essential for ensuring accurate results. You can save most of these settings in a template to avoid having to re-create them each time you start a new drawing.

Choosing Unit Types

One of the first tasks in setting up a drawing is to choose the unit type. Units define how objects are measured. You can save the unit type in a template.

Note

The Initial Setup dialog box allows you to specify your industry and a template. These can affect your units. For example, if you choose the Architecture option on Page 1 and a template suitable for your industry on the last page, whenever you start a new drawing, your units will be architectural. You can change these settings at any time by choosing Application Button

The coordinates that you use in AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT are measured in units that can represent any real-world measurement, such as inches or millimeters. A surveyor or city planner might even use miles or kilometers as the base unit. However, different disciplines have customs that express units differently, and ...