Chapter 1
Introducing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT
IN THIS CHAPTER
Launching AutoCAD
Creating your first drawing in AutoCAD
Seeing the complete picture
Understanding the difference between pixels and vectors
Comprehending the Cartesian coordinate system
This chapter helps ease you into using AutoCAD to create engineering drawings. Although it’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed the first time you see AutoCAD, rest assured that you don’t need to learn all the controls that you see in the default environment to be an efficient user of the program.
After a brief introduction to the program, I take you through an exercise to show you just how easy it can be to use AutoCAD. The exercise is followed up with some key concepts that you should understand when using AutoCAD, including how it differs from most other computer applications.
When you’re starting out with AutoCAD, heed this quote from ...