Wiley Publishing, Inc. Mastering AutoCAD ® 2008 and AutoCAD LT ® 2008 George Omura 3738x.book Page iii Monday, June 25, 2007 11:37 PM 3738x.book Page ii Monday, June 25, 2007 11:37 PM Mastering AutoCAD ® 2008 and AutoCAD LT ® 2008 3738x.book Page i Monday, June 25, 2007 11:37 PM 3738x.book Page ii Monday, June 25, 2007 11:37 PM Wiley Publishing, Inc. Mastering AutoCAD ® 2008 and AutoCAD LT ® 2008 George Omura 3738x.book Page iii Monday, June 25, 2007 11:37 PM Acquisitions Editor: Willem Knibbe Development Editor: David Ziegler Technical Editor: Paul Richardson Production Editor: Martine Dardignac Copy Editor: Tiffany Taylor Production Manager: Tim Tate Vice President and Executive Group Publisher: Richard Swadley Vice President and Executive Publisher: Joseph B. Wikert Vice President and Publisher: Neil Edde Book Designers: Maureen Forys and Judy Fung Compositor: Craig Woods, Happenstance Type-O-Rama Proofreader: Nancy Riddiough Indexer: Ted Laux Anniversary Logo Design: Richard Pacifico Cover Designer: Ryan Sneed Cover Image: © Pete Gardner / Digital Vision / gettyimages Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada ISBN: 978-0-470-13738-3 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. 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Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Depart- ment within the U.S. at (800) 762-2974, outside the U.S. at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the publisher. TRADEMARKS: Wiley, the Wiley logo, and the Sybex logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 3738x.book Page iv Monday, June 25, 2007 11:37 PM Dear Reader, Thank you for choosing Mastering AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD LT 2008 . This book is part of a fam- ily of premium quality Sybex books, all written by outstanding authors who combine practical experience with a gift for teaching. Sybex was founded in 1976. More than thirty years later, we’re still committed to producing con- sistently exceptional books. With each of our titles we’re working hard to set a new standard for the industry. From the paper we print on, to the authors we work with, our goal is to bring you the best books available. I hope you see all that reflected in these pages. I’d be very interested to hear your comments and get your feedback on how we’re doing. Feel free to let me know what you think about this or any other Sybex book by sending me an email at nedde@wiley.com , or if you think you’ve found a tech- nical error in this book, please visit http://sybex.custhelp.com . Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex. Best regards, Neil Edde Vice President and Publisher Sybex, an Imprint of Wiley 3738x.book Page v Monday, June 25, 2007 11:37 PM To my two wonderful sons, Arthur and Charles, and to Susan, who helps me to put things in perspective. 3738x.book Page vi Monday, June 25, 2007 11:37 PM Acknowledgments Many talented and hardworking folks gave their best effort to produce Mastering AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD LT 2008. I offer my sincerest gratitude to those people who helped bring this book to you. Heartfelt thanks go to the editorial and production teams at Sybex for their efforts. Willem Knibbe made sure things got off to a great start and was always there for support. Martine Dardignac kept a watchful eye on the progress of the book. David Ziegler kept things running smoothly and always had a positive attitude. Tiffany Taylor made sure I wasn’t trying out new uses of the English language. Paul Richardson did an excellent job of ensuring that I didn’t make any glaring mistakes and offered suggestions based on his own training experience. You can see the handiwork of Paul Richardson (not the same Paul Richardson who did the technical editing) and Christine Merredith of Technical Publications in the sidebars that discuss the San Francisco Main Library. Thanks also go to the architectural firms of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and Simon Martin-Vegue Winkelstein Morris Associated Architects for generously granting permission to reproduce drawings from their design of the San Francisco Main Library. At Autodesk, a special thanks goes to Abhi Singh, AutoCAD Production Manager, for taking the time from his busy schedule to write the foreword. Thanks for the kind words, Abhi. Thanks also go to Denis Cadu, who has always given his steadfast support of my efforts over many projects. Jim Quanci always gives his generous and thoughtful assistance to us author types—I’d be lost without your help, Jim. Finally, as always, a big thanks to Shaan Hurley for generously allowing us to have a look at the pre-release software. And a great big thank you to my family and friends, who have always been a source of inspira- tion and understanding. 3738x.book Page vii Monday, June 25, 2007 11:37 PM [...]... familiar with the way AutoCAD looks and feels Chapter 1, “Exploring the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Interface,” shows you how to get around in AutoCAD In Chapter 2, “Creating Your First Drawing,” you’ll learn how to start and exit the program and how to respond to AutoCAD commands Chapter 3, “Setting Up and Using AutoCAD s Drafting Tools,” tells you how to set up a work area, edit objects, and lay out a drawing... review and look at different ways to apply the information you’ve learned Experienced users will also find this book a handy reference tool Finally, if you run into problems using AutoCAD, see the “When Things Go Wrong” section in Appendix B You’ll find a list of the most common issues that users face when first learning AutoCAD AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD LT 2008 Autodesk has released both AutoCAD 2008 and. .. started and stay ahead with AutoCAD With this edition, you get coverage of the latest features of both AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD LT 2008, plus the latest information on new features How to Use This Book Rather than just showing you how each command works, this book shows you AutoCAD 2008 in the context of a meaningful activity You’ll learn how to use commands while working on an actual project and progressing... the catalog page for this book, and click the Errata link to find a form on which you can identify the problem And thanks for choosing Mastering AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD LT 2008 xxxi 3738x.book Page xxxii Monday, June 25, 2007 11:37 PM 3738x.book Page 1 Monday, June 25, 2007 11:37 PM Part 1 The Basics In this part: ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ Chapter 1: Exploring the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Interface Chapter 2: Creating... simplifies the scale of text and other graphics to fit the scale of your drawing ◆ New Daylight lighting feature to create more realistic outdoor renderings of your 3D models ◆ Better links between AutoCAD tables and external spreadsheets ◆ Improved text-editing tools and features Contact the Author I hope that Mastering AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD LT 2008 will be of benefit to you and that, after you’ve completed... and use existing Express tools that expand AutoCAD s functionality, and you’ll be introduced to AutoLISP as a tool to create macros Chapter 25, “Introducing AutoLISP,” is a primer to AutoCAD s popular macro language You’ll learn how you can create custom commands built on existing ones and how you can retrieve and store locations and other data Chapter 26, “Customizing Toolbars, Menus, Linetypes, and. .. AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD LT 2008 simultaneously Not surprisingly, they’re nearly identical in the way they look and work You can share files between the two programs with complete confidence that you won’t lose data or corrupt files The main differences are that LT doesn’t support all the 3D functions of AutoCAD 2008, nor does it support the customization tools of AutoLISP and VBA But LT still has plenty... with comments on their uses If you experience any problems, you can consult the “When Things Go Wrong” section in Appendix B What to Expect Mastering AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD LT 2008 is divided into five parts, each representing a milestone in your progress toward becoming an expert AutoCAD user Here is a description of those parts and what they will show you Part 1: The Basics As with any major endeavor,... use AutoCAD to produce lifelike views of your 3D drawings Chapter 23, “Editing and Visualizing 3D Solids,” takes a closer look at 3D solids and how they can be created, edited, and displayed in AutoCAD 2008 Part 5: Customization and Integration One of AutoCAD s greatest strengths is its openness to customization Chapter 24, “Using the Express Tools,” gives you a gentle introduction to the world of AutoCAD. .. productivity and customization areas And because they’re so similar, I can present material for both programs with only minor adjustments 3738x.book Page xxviii Monday, June 25, 2007 11:37 PM xxviii INTRODUCTION When a feature is discussed that is available only in AutoCAD 2008, you’ll see the AutoCAD Only icon You’ll also see warning messages when tutorials vary between AutoCAD 2008 and LT If only . for choosing Mastering AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD LT 2008 . This book is part of a fam- ily of premium quality Sybex books, all written by outstanding authors. Acknowledgments Many talented and hardworking folks gave their best effort to produce Mastering AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD LT 2008. I offer my sincerest gratitude