Mastering^TM AutoCAD^® 2004 and AutoCAD LT^® 2004

by George Omura

• ISBN13: 9780782141887
• ISBN10: 0782141889
• Edition: CD
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-06-01
• Publisher: Sybex

Summary

AutoCAD is the industry-leading CAD software. The latest release will include a new Tools palette, full true-color support, graphic enhancements such as gradient fills, digital signatures, improved Xref management tools, and the return of Express Tools. This book works as both a tutorial and a stand-alone reference book. It features comprehensive coverage of both AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT.

Table of Contents

Introduction	xxiv
Part 1 The Basics	1	(190)
This Is AutoCAD	3	(32)
Taking a Guided Tour	4	(18)
The AutoCAD Window	6	(5)
The Pull-Down Menus	11	(5)
The Toolbars	16	(6)
Working with AutoCAD	22	(12)
Opening an Existing File	22	(2)
Getting a Closer Look	24	(4)
Saving a File As You Work	28	(1)
Making Changes	29	(1)
Opening Multiple Files	30	(2)
Adding a Pre-Drawn Symbol with the Tool Palette	32	(1)
Closing AutoCAD	33	(1)
If You Want to Experiment	34	(1)
Creating Your First Drawing	35	(46)
Getting to Know the Draw Toolbar	35	(4)
Starting Your First Drawing	39	(7)
Specifying Distances with Coordinates	46	(5)
Specifying Polar Coordinates	47	(1)
Specifying Relative Cartesian Coordinates	48	(3)
Interpreting the Cursor Modes and Understanding Prompts	51	(6)
Choosing Command Options	52	(5)
Selecting Objects	57	(10)
Selecting Objects in AutoCAD	57	(10)
Restrictions on Noun/Verb Object Selection	67	(1)
Editing with Grips	67	(5)
Stretching Lines Using Grips	67	(2)
Moving and Rotating with Grips	69	(3)
Getting Help	72	(5)
Using the Search Tab	73	(1)
Using Context-Sensitive Help	74	(1)
Additional Sources of Help	75	(1)
Staying Informed with the Communication Center	76	(1)
Displaying Data in a Text Window	77	(1)
Displaying the Properties of an Object	78	(2)
If You Want to Experiment	80	(1)
Learning the Tools of the Trade	81	(48)
Setting Up a Work Area	81	(10)
Specifying Units	82	(2)
Fine-Tuning the Measurement System	84	(2)
Setting Up the Drawing Limits	86	(2)
Understanding Scale Factors	88	(3)
Using the AutoCAD Modes as Drafting Tools	91	(7)
Using the Grid Mode as a Background Grid	91	(2)
Using the Snap Modes	93	(1)
Using Grid and Snap Together	93	(1)
Using Polar Tracking and Snap as Your Scale, T-Square, and Triangle	94	(3)
Setting the Polar Tracking Angle	97	(1)
Exploring the Drawing Process	98	(8)
Locating an Object in Reference to Others	98	(2)
Getting a Closer Look	100	(1)
Modifying an Object	101	(5)
Planning and Laying Out a Drawing	106	(21)
Making a Preliminary Sketch	107	(2)
Using the Layout	109	(9)
Putting On the Finishing Touches	118	(1)
Aligning Objects Using Object Snap Tracking	119	(8)
If You Want to Experiment	127	(2)
Organizing Your Work	129	(62)
Creating a Symbol	130	(4)
Understanding the Block Definition Dialog Box	133	(1)
Inserting a Symbol	134	(8)
Scaling and Rotating Blocks	137	(2)
Using an Existing Drawing as a Symbol	139	(3)
Modifying a Block	142	(5)
Unblocking and Redefining a Block	142	(2)
Saving a Block as a Drawing File	144	(1)
Replacing Existing Files with Blocks	145	(1)
Other Uses for Blocks	146	(1)
Grouping Objects	147	(9)
Grouping Objects for LT Users	149	(1)
Modifying Members of a Group	150	(3)
Working with the Object Grouping Dialog Box	153	(2)
Other Uses for Groups	155	(1)
Organizing Information with Layers	156	(26)
Creating and Assigning Layers	157	(9)
Working on Layers	166	(4)
Controlling Layer Visibility	170	(1)
Finding the Layers You Want	171	(4)
Assigning Line Types to Layers	175	(3)
Adding a Line Type to a Drawing	178	(4)
Controlling Line Weights	182	(1)
Keeping Track of Blocks and Layers	183	(2)
Using the Log File Feature	183	(2)
Finding Files on Your Hard Disk	185	(2)
Inserting Symbols with Drag and Drop	187	(1)
If You Want to Experiment	188	(3)
Part 2 Building on the Basics	191	(248)
Editing for Productivity	193	(50)
Creating and Using Templates	194	(3)
Creating a Template	194	(1)
Using a Template	195	(2)
Copying an Object Multiple Times	197	(10)
Making Circular Copies	197	(3)
Making Row and Column Copies	200	(3)
Fine-Tuning Your View	203	(4)
Developing Your Drawing	207	(25)
Importing Settings	207	(4)
Using Osnap Tracking to Place Objects	211	(4)
Cleaning Up the Line Work	215	(13)
Finding Distances Along Arcs	228	(3)
Changing the Length of Objects	231	(1)
Creating a New Drawing Using Parts from Another Drawing	231	(1)
Drawing Parallel Lines	232	(7)
Customizing Multilines	234	(3)
Joining and Editing Multilines	237	(2)
Eliminating Blocks, Layers, Line Types, Shapes, and Styles	239	(1)
Selectively Removing Unused Elements	239	(1)
Removing All Unused Elements	240	(1)
If You Want to Experiment	240	(3)
Enhancing Your Drawing Skills	243	(52)
Assembling the Parts	243	(3)
Taking Control of the AutoCAD Display	246	(11)
Understanding Regeneration and Redrawing	246	(1)
Exploring Other Ways to Control AutoCAD's Display	247	(7)
Understanding the Frozen Layer Option	254	(2)
Making Good Use of Freeze and Off	256	(1)
Taking Control of Regens	256	(1)
Using Hatch Patterns in Your Drawings	257	(9)
Placing a Hatch Pattern in a Specific Area	257	(2)
Positioning Hatch Patterns Accurately	259	(4)
Updating Blocks in the Plan File	263	(2)
Changing the Hatch Area	265	(1)
Modifying a Hatch Pattern	266	(2)
Understanding the Boundary Hatch Options	268	(8)
Using the Advanced Hatch Options	269	(2)
Using Gradient Shading	271	(2)
Tips for Using the Boundary Hatch	273	(1)
Space Planning and Hatch Patterns	274	(2)
Using External References	276	(10)
Attaching a Drawing as an External Reference	277	(3)
Editing Xrefs and the Files That Contain Them at the Same Time	280	(1)
Other Differences between External References and Blocks	281	(2)
Other External Reference Options	283	(1)
Clipping Xref Views and Improving Performance	284	(2)
Editing Xrefs in Place	286	(6)
Adding and Removing Objects from Blocks and Xrefs	289	(2)
Understanding Reference Edit Dialog Box Options	291	(1)
If You Want to Experiment	292	(3)
Printing, Plotting, and Layouts	295	(56)
Plotting the Plan	295	(3)
Understanding the Plotter Settings	298	(10)
Paper Size and Paper Units	298	(1)
Drawing Orientation	299	(1)
The Plot Area	299	(4)
Plot Scale	303	(2)
Shaded Viewport Options	305	(1)
Plot Offset	306	(1)
Plot Options	307	(1)
WYSIWYG Plotting Using Layout Tabs	308	(5)
Plot Scale in the Layout Tab Viewports	310	(3)
Setting Color, Line Corner Styles, and Shading Patterns with Plot Styles	313	(16)
Choosing between Color and Named Plot Style Tables	313	(1)
Creating a Color Plot Style Table	314	(2)
Editing and Using Plot Style Tables	316	(9)
Other Options in the Plot Style Table Editor	325	(4)
Assigning Plot Styles Directly to Layers and Objects	329	(7)
Using Named Plot Style Tables	329	(3)
Assigning Plot Styles to Objects	332	(3)
Assigning Plot Style Tables to Layers	335	(1)
Plotting Multiple Layout Tabs	336	(1)
Adding an Output Device	337	(6)
Editing a Plotter Configuration	341	(2)
Storing a Page Setup	343	(2)
Plotter and Printer Hardware Considerations	345	(2)
Understanding Your Plotter's Limits	345	(1)
Knowing Your Plotter's Origins	346	(1)
Batch Plotting	347	(2)
Sending Your Drawings to a Service Bureau	349	(1)
If You Want to Experiment	350	(1)
Adding Text to Drawings	351	(40)
Adding Text to a Drawing	351	(3)
Understanding Text Formatting in AutoCAD	354	(13)
Adjusting the Text Height and Font	354	(3)
Scaling Multiple Text Objects in a Hurry	357	(1)
Adding Color, Stacked Fractions, and Special Symbols	357	(1)
Adjusting the Width of the Text Boundary Window	358	(1)
Adjusting the Text Alignment	359	(2)
Changing Justification of Multiple Text Objects	361	(1)
Setting Indents and Tabs	361	(4)
Adjusting Line Spacing	365	(1)
Editing Text Content	366	(1)
Converting Text to Lowercase or Uppercase	366	(1)
Understanding Text and Scale	366	(1)
Organizing Text by Styles	367	(6)
Creating a Style	368	(1)
Using a Type Style	369	(2)
Setting the Current Default Style	371	(1)
Understanding the Text Style Dialog Box Options	371	(1)
Renaming a Text Style	372	(1)
What Do the Fonts Look Like?	373	(2)
Adding Special Characters	375	(2)
Adding Simple Text Objects	377	(5)
Editing Single-Line Text Objects	378	(1)
Justifying Single-Line Text Objects	379	(1)
Using Special Characters with Single-Line Text Objects	380	(2)
Using the Check Spelling Feature	382	(2)
Choosing a Dictionary	383	(1)
Substituting Fonts	384	(1)
Finding and Replacing Text	385	(2)
Accelerating Zooms and Regens with Qtext	387	(1)
If You Want to Experiment	388	(3)
Using Dimensions	391	(48)
Understanding the Components of a Dimension	392	(1)
Creating a Dimension Style	392	(11)
Setting Up the Primary Unit Style	394	(2)
Setting the Height for Dimension Text	396	(1)
Setting the Location and Orientation of Dimension Text	397	(1)
Choosing an Arrow Style and Setting the Dimension Scale	397	(3)
Setting Up Alternate Units	400	(1)
Setting the Current Dimension Style	401	(1)
Modifying a Dimension Style	402	(1)
Drawing Linear Dimensions	403	(5)
Finding the Dimension Toolbar	403	(1)
Placing Horizontal and Vertical Dimensions	403	(2)
Continuing a Dimension	405	(1)
Drawing Dimensions from a Common Base Extension Line	406	(2)
Editing Dimensions	408	(17)
Appending Data to Dimension Text	408	(2)
Making Minor Adjustments to Dimensions Using Grips	410	(2)
Changing Style Settings of Individual Dimensions	412	(4)
Editing Dimensions and Other Objects Together	416	(2)
Using True Associative Dimensions	418	(4)
Adding a String of Dimensions with a Single Operation	422	(1)
Removing the Alternate Dimensions	423	(1)
Using Osnap While Dimensioning	424	(1)
Dimensioning Nonorthogonal Objects	425	(5)
Dimensioning Nonorthogonal Linear Distances	426	(2)
Dimensioning Radii, Diameters, and Arcs	428	(2)
Adding a Note with an Arrow	430	(3)
Exploring the Leader Options	431	(2)
Skewing Dimension Lines	433	(1)
Applying Ordinate Dimensions	434	(1)
Adding Tolerance Notation	435	(2)
If You Want to Experiment	437	(2)
Part 3 Becoming an Expert	439	(216)
Attributes---Storing Data with Graphics	441	(26)
Creating Attributes	441	(10)
Adding Attributes to Blocks	442	(2)
Adding Attribute Specifications	444	(3)
Inserting Blocks Containing Attributes	447	(4)
Editing Attributes	451	(8)
Editing Attribute Values One at a Time	451	(2)
Making Global Changes to Attribute Values	453	(2)
Making Invisible Attributes Visible	455	(4)
Extracting and Exporting Attribute Information	459	(6)
Using Extracted Attribute Data with Other Programs	465	(1)
If You Want to Experiment	465	(2)
Working with External Databases	467	(22)
Accessing External Databases	467	(1)
Setting Up Your System for Database Access	468	(4)
Creating a Data Link File	469	(3)
Opening a Database from AutoCAD	472	(4)
Finding a Record in the Database	473	(3)
Adding a Row to a Database Table	476	(1)
Linking Objects to a Database	476	(6)
Creating a Link	477	(3)
Locating Database Records through Drawing Objects	480	(1)
Finding and Selecting Graphics through the Database	481	(1)
Adding Labels with Links to a Database	482	(5)
Adding Linked Labels	484	(1)
Hiding Labels	485	(1)
Editing Links	486	(1)
If You Want to Experiment	487	(2)
Copying Pre-existing Drawings into AutoCAD	489	(28)
Tracing, Scaling, and Scanning Drawings	489	(1)
Tracing a Drawing	490	(14)
Reconfiguring the Tablet for Tracing	490	(2)
Calibrating the Tablet for Your Drawing	492	(3)
Tracing Lines from a Drawing	495	(1)
Cleaning Up a Traced Drawing	496	(7)
Working Smarter with Digitizers	503	(1)
Importing and Tracing Raster Images	504	(11)
Scaling a Raster Image	508	(1)
Controlling Object Visibility and Overlap with Raster Images	509	(1)
Clipping a Raster Image	510	(1)
Adjusting Brightness, Contrast, and Strength	511	(1)
Turning Off the Frame, Adjusting Overall Quality, and Controlling Transparency	512	(3)
If You Want to Experiment	515	(2)
Power Editing	517	(70)
Editing More Efficiently	517	(15)
Editing an Existing Drawing	518	(5)
Building on Previously Drawn Objects	523	(9)
Using Grips to Simplify Editing	532	(5)
Singling Out Proximate Objects	536	(1)
Using External References (Xrefs)	537	(11)
Preparing Existing Drawings for Cross-Referencing	537	(2)
Assembling External References to Build a Drawing	539	(5)
Importing Named Elements from External References	544	(3)
Controlling the Xref Search Path	547	(1)
Using the Layout Tabs and Paper Space	548	(6)
Understanding Model Space and Paper Space	548	(2)
Creating New Paper Space Viewports	550	(2)
Reaching Inside Viewports	552	(2)
Getting Back to Full-Screen Model Space	554	(1)
Working with Paper Space Viewports	554	(11)
Scaling Views in Paper Space	556	(2)
Setting Layers in Individual Viewports	558	(4)
Creating and Using Multiple Paper Space Layouts	562	(3)
Understanding Line Weights, Line Types, and Dimensions in Paper Space	565	(7)
Controlling and Viewing Line Weights in Paper Space	565	(3)
The Lineweight Settings Dialog Box	568	(1)
Line-Type Scales and Paper Space	568	(1)
Dimensioning in Paper Space Layouts	569	(3)
Other Uses for Paper Space	572	(1)
Managing Layers	572	(3)
Saving and Recalling Layer Settings	572	(3)
Advanced Tools: Quick Select, Selection Filters, and the Calculator	575	(10)
Filtering Selections	575	(3)
Quick Select	578	(7)
If You Want to Experiment	585	(2)
Drawing Curves and Solid Fills	587	(38)
Introducing Polylines	587	(3)
Drawing a Polyline	587	(2)
Polyline Options	589	(1)
Editing Polylines	590	(14)
Smoothing Polylines	594	(2)
Editing Vertices	596	(8)
Creating a Polyline Spline Curve	604	(2)
Using True Spline Curves	606	(8)
Drawing a Spline	607	(2)
Fine-Tuning Spline Curves	609	(5)
Marking Divisions on Curves	614	(3)
Dividing Objects into Segments of Equal Length	615	(1)
Dividing Objects into Specified Lengths	616	(1)
Sketching with AutoCAD	617	(1)
Freehand Sketching with AutoCAD	617	(1)
Filling In Solid Areas	618	(4)
Drawing Solid Filled Areas	619	(1)
Overlapping Solid Lines and Shaded Fills	620	(1)
Drawing Filled Circles	621	(1)
Toggling Solid Fills On and Off	621	(1)
If You Want to Experiment	622	(3)
Getting and Exchanging Data from Drawings	625	(30)
Finding the Area of Closed Boundaries	625	(7)
Finding the Area or Location of an Object	626	(3)
Finding the Area of Complex Shapes	629	(3)
Getting General Information	632	(7)
Determining the Drawing's Status	632	(2)
Keeping Track of Time	634	(1)
Getting Information from System Variables	634	(1)
Keeping a Log of Your Activity	635	(1)
Capturing and Saving Text Data from the AutoCAD Text Window	636	(1)
Storing Searchable Information in AutoCAD Files	637	(1)
Searching for AutoCAD Files	638	(1)
Recovering Corrupted Files	638	(1)
Exchanging CAD Data with Other Programs	639	(3)
Using the .dxf File Format	639	(3)
Using AutoCAD Drawings in Desktop Publishing	642	(5)
Exporting Raster Files	642	(2)
Exporting Vector Files	644	(3)
Combining Data from Different Sources	647	(6)
Editing Links	651	(1)
Options for Embedding Data	652	(1)
Using the Clipboard to Export AutoCAD Drawings	652	(1)
If You Want to Experiment	653	(2)
Part 4 3D Modeling and Imaging	655	(182)
Introducing 3D	657	(30)
Creating a 3D Drawing	658	(6)
Changing a 2D Plan into a 3D Model	660	(3)
Creating a 3D Object	663	(1)
Viewing a 3D Drawing	664	(3)
Finding Isometric and Orthogonal Views	664	(2)
Using a Dialog Box to Select 3D Views	666	(1)
Visualizing Your 3D Model	667	(5)
Removing Hidden Lines	668	(1)
Showing Hidden Lines as Dashed	669	(3)
Getting the 3D Results You Want	672	(2)
Drawing 3D Surfaces	674	(8)
Using Point Filters	674	(2)
Creating Irregular 3D Surfaces	676	(4)
Hiding Unwanted Surface Edges	680	(1)
Using Predefined 3D Surface Shapes	681	(1)
Turning a 3D View into a 2D AutoCAD Drawing	681	(1)
Creating and Using Slides	682	(4)
Creating Slides	682	(1)
Viewing Slides	682	(1)
Automating a Slide Presentation	683	(1)
Creating a Slide Library	684	(2)
If You Want to Experiment	686	(1)
Using Advanced 3D Features	687	(54)
Mastering the User Coordinate System	687	(20)
Defining a UCS	688	(3)
Saving a UCS	691	(1)
Working in a UCS	692	(4)
Using Viewports to Aid in 3D Drawing	696	(5)
Controlling the UCS	701	(6)
Creating Complex 3D Surfaces	707	(11)
Laying Out a 3D Form	707	(2)
Using a 3D Polyline	709	(2)
Creating a Curved 3D Surface	711	(7)
Other Surface-Drawing Tools	718	(5)
Using Two Objects to Define a Surface	718	(2)
Extruding an Object Along a Straight Line	720	(2)
Extruding a Circular Surface	722	(1)
Editing a Mesh	723	(10)
Other Mesh-Editing Options	725	(1)
Aligning Objects in 3D Space	725	(2)
Rotating an Object in 3D	727	(4)
Turning on a Perspective View	731	(1)
Using Some Visual Aids	732	(1)
Adjusting the Camera	733	(7)
Using Clipping Planes to Hide Parts of Your View	736	(3)
Getting a Simple Animation of Your View	739	(1)
If You Want to Experiment	740	(1)
Rendering and Animating 3D Drawings	741	(44)
Things to Do Before You Start	741	(1)
Creating a Quick-Study Rendering	742	(14)
Simulating the Sunlight Angle	743	(4)
Adding Shadows	747	(3)
Adding Materials	750	(3)
Adjusting the Materials' Appearance	753	(3)
Adding a Background Scene	756	(1)
Effects with Lighting	757	(9)
Simulating the Interior Lighting of an Office Building	758	(2)
Simulating a Night Scene with Spotlights	760	(2)
Controlling Lights with Scenes	762	(4)
Adding Reflections and Detail with Ray Tracing	766	(2)
Assigning a Mirror Attribute to Glass	766	(2)
Getting a Sharp, Accurate Shadow with Ray Tracing	768	(1)
Creating and Adjusting Texture Maps	768	(5)
Adding Landscape and People	773	(4)
Other Rendering Output Options	777	(2)
Rendering to the Render Window	777	(1)
Rendering Directly to a File	778	(1)
Improving Your Image and Editing	779	(1)
Smoothing Out the Rough Edges	780	(1)
Printing Your Renderings	781	(3)
If You Want to Experiment	784	(1)
Mastering 3D Solids	785	(52)
Understanding Solid Modeling	786	(2)
Creating Solid Forms	788	(9)
Displaying the Solids Toolbar	789	(1)
Creating Primitives	789	(2)
Turning a 2D Polyline into a 3D Solid	791	(3)
Joining Primitives	794	(3)
Creating Complex Solids	797	(7)
Tapering an Extrusion	797	(2)
Extruding on a Curved Path	799	(2)
Revolving a Polyline	801	(3)
Editing Solids	804	(15)
Splitting a Solid into Two Pieces	804	(1)
Rounding Corners with the Fillet Tool	805	(2)
Chamfering Corners with the Chamfer Tool	807	(1)
Using the Solids Editing Tools	808	(11)
Enhancing the 2D Drawing Process	819	(14)
Drawing a Standard Top, Front, and Right-Side View	820	(4)
Creating an Isometric View	824	(1)
Creating Hidden-Line Views	825	(2)
Shading a Viewport	827	(2)
Adding Dimensions and Notes in Paper Space	829	(1)
Drawing a Cross-Section	830	(1)
Using 3D Solid Operations on 2D Drawings	831	(2)
Finding the Properties of a Solid	833	(2)
Finding a Model's Mass Properties	834	(1)
If You Want to Experiment	835	(2)
Part 5 Customization and Integration	837	(142)
Introduction to Customization	839	(46)
Enhancements Straight from the Source	839	(36)
Opening the Express Toolbars	840	(1)
Tools for Managing Layers	841	(5)
Tools for Editing Text	846	(5)
Express Block Tools	851	(1)
Express Standard Tools	852	(5)
Tools on the Express Pull-Down Menu	857	(11)
Layout Express Tools	868	(4)
Finding Former Express Tools	872	(3)
Utilities Available from Other Sources	875	(1)
Putting AutoLISP to Work	876	(6)
Loading and Running an AutoLISP Program	876	(2)
Managing Your AutoLISP and VBA Library	878	(1)
Loading AutoLISP Programs Automatically	878	(1)
Creating Keyboard Macros with AutoLISP	879	(3)
Using Third-Party Software	882	(1)
Custom-Tailoring AutoCAD	882	(1)
Third-Party Product Information on the World Wide Web	883	(1)
Autodesk's Own Offerings	883	(1)
Getting the Latest Information from Online Services	883	(1)
If You Want to Experiment	884	(1)
Integrating AutoCAD into Your Projects and Organization	885	(40)
Customizing Toolbars	885	(5)
Getting Familiar with the Customize Dialog Box	886	(2)
Creating Your Own Toolbar	888	(2)
Customizing Toolbar Tools	890	(9)
Creating a Custom Button	890	(2)
Creating a Custom Icon	892	(2)
Setting the Properties of Flyouts	894	(1)
Creating Keyboard Shortcuts	895	(4)
Adding Your Own Pull-Down Menu	899	(7)
Creating Your First Pull-Down Menu	899	(1)
Loading a Menu	900	(2)
How the Pull-Down Menu Works	902	(4)
Creating Accelerator Keys	906	(1)
Understanding the Diesel Macro Language	907	(4)
Using Diesel in a Menu	908	(1)
Using Diesel as a Menu Option Label	909	(2)
Creating Custom Line Types	911	(7)
Viewing Available Line Types	912	(1)
Creating a New Line Type	913	(3)
Creating Complex Line Types	916	(2)
Creating Hatch Patterns	918	(4)
If You Want to Experiment	922	(3)
Managing and Sharing Your Drawings	925	(54)
Sharing Drawings over the Internet	925	(9)
Sharing Project Files with eTransmit	926	(2)
Protecting AutoCAD Drawing Files	928	(6)
ePublishing Your Drawings	934	(19)
Exchanging Drawing Sets	934	(4)
Creating a a Web-Viewable Drawing	938	(3)
Creating a Web Page Containing .dwf Files	941	(6)
Exchanging .dwg Files Using i-drop	947	(1)
Adding Hyperlinks to Drawings	948	(5)
Managing Your Drawings with DesignCenter and the Tool Palettes	953	(14)
Getting Familiar with DesignCenter	953	(5)
Opening and Inserting Files with DesignCenter	958	(1)
Finding and Extracting the Contents of a Drawing	958	(3)
Exchanging Data between Open Files	961	(1)
Loading Specific Files into DesignCenter	961	(1)
Downloading Symbols from DesignCenter Online	962	(1)
Customizing the Tool Palettes with DesignCenter	963	(4)
Establishing Office Standards	967	(7)
Establishing Layering and Text Conventions	967	(1)
Checking Office Standards	968	(6)
Converting Multiple Layer Settings	974	(3)
Other Layer Translator Options	976	(1)
Summary	977	(2)
Appendices	979	(118)
Appendix A What's on the Companion CD?	981	(10)
The Mastering AutoCAD Bonus Software	981	(1)
Opening the Installation Program	982	(1)
Installing the AutoCAD Trial Version	983	(1)
Installing and Using the Sample Drawing Files	983	(1)
Installing On-Screen AEC	983	(1)
Loading the On-Screen AEC Menu	984	(1)
Using the AEC Utilities	985	(1)
Installing and Using Eye2eye	985	(1)
The Bonus Chapters and Samples	986	(1)
AutoCAD 2004 Instant Reference	987	(1)
The ABCs of AutoLISP	988	(1)
PanaVue ImageAssembler	988	(1)
3D AutoLISP Utilities	988	(1)
Editing Polylines in 3D Space with 3Dpedit.lsp	988	(1)
Importing HPGL Plot Files with Hpglin.lsp	988	(1)
Converting 3D Meshes into Solid Surface with Mesh2sol.lsp	989	(1)
Extruding a Shape Along a Spline Curve with Splinep.lsp	989	(1)
Drawing Tubes with Tube.lsp	990	(1)
Sample Clip Art Files	990	(1)
Appendix B Installing and Setting Up AutoCAD	991	(28)
Before Installing AutoCAD	991	(1)
Installing the AutoCAD Software	992	(1)
Installing Other AutoCAD Components	993	(1)
The AutoCAD Program Files	993	(1)
Configuring AutoCAD	994	(1)
The Files Tab	994	(4)
The Display Tab	998	(2)
The Open And Save Tab	1000	(2)
The Plotting Tab	1002	(1)
The System Tab	1003	(3)
The User Preferences Tab	1006	(2)
The Drafting Tab	1008	(2)
The Selection Tab	1010	(2)
The Profiles Tab	1012	(1)
Configuring the Tablet Menu Area	1013	(2)
Turning On the Noun/Verb Selection Method	1015	(1)
Turning On the Grips Feature	1015	(1)
Setting Up the Tracking Vector Feature	1016	(1)
Adjusting AutoCAD's 3D Graphics System	1016	(3)
Appendix C Hardware and Software Tips	1019	(26)
The Graphics Display	1019	(1)
Pointing Devices	1020	(1)
The Digitizing Tablet	1020	(1)
Output Devices	1020	(1)
Printers	1020	(1)
Plotters	1021	(1)
Fine-Tuning the Appearance of Output	1021	(1)
Making Detailed Adjustments with the Plotter Configuration Options	1022	(9)
Plot Stamp	1031	(2)
Merge Control	1033	(1)
Filtering Paper Sizes	1033	(2)
Filtering Printers	1035	(1)
Controlling the Plot Preview Background Color	1035	(1)
Controlling the Windows Metafile Background Color	1035	(1)
Fine-Tuning PostScript File Export	1036	(1)
Memory and AutoCAD Performance	1036	(1)
AutoCAD and Your Hard Disk	1037	(1)
Keep Your Hard Drive Clean	1037	(1)
AutoCAD Tools to Improve Memory Use	1037	(1)
Using Partial Open to Conserve Memory and Improve Speed	1037	(1)
Using Spatial and Layer Indexes to Conserve Memory	1038	(1)
Using the Incremental Save Percentage to Conserve Disk Space	1039	(1)
When Things Go Wrong	1039	(1)
Difficulty Starting Up or Opening a File	1039	(1)
Restoring Corrupted Files	1039	(1)
Troubleshooting	1040	(5)
Appendix D System and Dimension Variables	1045	(52)
Setting System Variables	1045	(28)
Setting Dimension Variables	1073	(5)
Storing Dimension Styles through the Command Line	1078	(1)
Restoring a Dimension Style from the Command Line	1079	(1)
Notes on Metric Dimensioning	1079	(1)
A Closer Look at the Dimension Style Dialog Boxes	1080	(1)
The Dimension Style Manager Dialog Box	1081	(3)
The New/Modify/Override Dimension Style Dialog Box	1084	(11)
Drawing Blocks for Your Own Dimension Arrows and Tick Marks	1095	(2)
Index	1097