AutoCAD® 2011 & AutoCAD LT® 2011 Bible

Chapter 6. Drawing Simple Lines

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Using the LINE command

• Drawing rectangles

• Drawing polygons

• Creating construction lines

• Creating rays

Lines are the most commonly drawn object in 2D AutoCAD drawings — you'll use the LINE command a lot! Straight edges just happen to be very common in the real world. Related commands for drawing rectangles, polygons, and construction lines are also important, so you should have all these commands in your arsenal. This chapter explains how to draw all these types of objects.

Using the LINE Command

The LINE command draws straight line segments. Part I includes several exercises in which you draw lines. However, the LINE command has several options, and you can still learn a few tricks of the trade by focusing on the LINE command itself.

If you continue to draw line segments, the subsequent prompts are different. Here's how to use them:

• The command displays the Specify next point or [Undo]: prompt for the next two segments. Right-click (or press the down-arrow key if you have Dynamic Input turned on) and choose Undo (or type u

  

• After creating at least two line segments, the command displays the Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: prompt. Right-click (or press the down-arrow key if you have Dynamic Input on) and choose Close (or type c

If you previously ...