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

Chapter 1. Drawing Objects

Welcome to Book II. It's time to get primitive! No, I'm not asking you to move into a tree in the backyard and howl at the moon. In this chapter, I introduce AutoCAD's primitive objects — or the basic objects if you will — and the drawing commands for creating them. Primitive objects in AutoCAD are lines, arcs, circles, and points.

After I explore the primitive heart of AutoCAD, I look at some of its more complex object-creation tools. These include polylines, multilines (double lines if you're using AutoCAD LT), and some obscure entities such as traces and 2D solids.

As I explain in Book I, you can interact with AutoCAD in several ways. You can start most drawing commands from the Draw panel, the toolbar, or the menu, or by typing the command name (or its short-form alias) at the keyboard. In nearly all cases, using any of these methods to start a command initiates a dialog with AutoCAD.

Locating and Using the Drawing Tools

Table 1-1 tells you where to find all the drawing commands AutoCAD provides, as well as what you can do with these commands. We don't cover the commands in this order; just think of this table as a handy reference chart. In the interests of fairness and democracy, Table 1-1 lists commands in alphabetical order by command name, not by popularity or frequency of use. Depending on the drawings that you create, LINE, ARC, and CIRCLE are probably going to be the commands you will use the most.

Table 1.1. AutoCAD's 2D Drawing Tools

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