Once you bring up the START menu in the lower left corner of your display, click and drag up to the word PROGRAMS, then across to AUTOCAD. Once you have highlighted the word AUTOCAD R14 with your cursor, release the mouse button. The application then proceeds to load into your PC's memory—this can take 10 to 20 seconds to complete, so be patient! 

AutoCAD graphics window cursor arrow and Command prompt will appear when AutoCAD is ready for operation. In general, AutoCAD indicates it is ready for your commands by displaying the "Command:" prompt in the Command area (see Interface diagram above).

• menu bar – contains the pull-down menus with commands in text form.
• floating toolbars – these are not restricted to the edges of the graphics window—they may appear anywhere on the screen; they contain icons (the "tools") representing various commands.
• docked toolbars – these are arranged along the edges of the graphics window, below the pull-down menus and consist of rows of icon buttons,
• graphics window – the actual drawing area that fills most of the screen.
• command window – is where you enter commands by typing and where AutoCAD displays prompts and messages.
• status bar – shows the cursor co-ordinates and the status of the various drawing and visual aids (modes) such as, snap, grid and ortho. The labelled boxes at about the middle of the status line are "toggle settings" that can be turned on or off by double-clicking. 

By default, the origin point—the point whose co-ordinates are 0,0—is located at the lower left of the graphics window when you have zoomed out to the drawing extents (see below for explanation of zooming). In this corner, you will notice a pair of arrows labelled x and y—this symbol indicates the direction of the positive x and y axes.

• select a corresponding tool icon on one of the toolbars, or
• choose an item from one of the pull-down menus, or 
• type the command at the command prompt in the command window—some commands may be typed with an abbreviated alias—e.g., z for zoom.

Note that not all commands are on the menus. Not all commands are on the toolbars. 

Once a command has been issued, AutoCAD displays a prompt (or instruction) on the command line indicating your options for proceeding with that command. You should get into the habit of watching those prompts very carefully so that you know where you are at any time. 

For example, if you type the command LINE and then press the Enter key (or the right-hand mouse button), AutoCAD will ask for the first point of the line by displaying the message: 

From point:

With the left mouse button click somewhere in the graphics window. AutoCAD will prompt you for the next point by displaying the phrase: 

To point:

A rubber-band line appears and it follows the cursor as you move across the graphics window. As before, click somewhere in the graphics window to pick a point. A line between the two points appears. AutoCAD now prompts for another point in case you want to continue drawing lines. To end the command, press Enter (or the right mouse button). 

The LINE command could also have been initiated by selecting the Line tool from the Draw toolbar. If it isn't, one can display additional toolbars by going to the View menu, selecting the Toolbars command, and then choosing the toolbar you want. The toolbar that appears is "floating" and it may be moved around the screen with the mouse. It may be "docked"—i.e., locked in position—by dragging it to the side of the graphics window. 

Once the Line tool icon has been located, place the cursor over the icon. A ToolTip with the command name will appear below the cursor. To execute the command, click once. The same prompt as with typed command version will appear in the command window. Select the points in the graphic window as before. 

Some tools in toolbars have a small black triangle in the corner. This indicates that a tool contains a flyout—a pop-up toolbar with additional commands. To display a flyout, left-button click on a tool and hold the button down until the flyout appears.

The following sections describe generally how to use each of the principal drawing commands. You should work through each of these, trying to understand the process more than the specific detail of each command. It would also help if you refer back to the study notes to see how the things described there, match with your experience here.

To turn off the blips so that they are no longer inserted in your drawing:Options > Drawing Aids in the Drawing Aids dialog box, clear the Blips check box and then click OK. 

Notice that the dialog box contains buttons, check boxes, radio buttons, and text/numeric entry fields. Practice changing the values and settings in this dialog box. Finally, to confirm the changes you've made click the OK button. 

Many AutoCAD commands don't display dialog boxes. In those cases, command options will be displayed in the command window. For example, the CIRCLE command has the following prompt: 

2P/3P/TTR/<Center point>:

The phrase "Center point" is the default—i.e., if you pick with the mouse a point, it will be assumed to be the circle centre point. Instead, if you enter "3P", then you're choosing the three points option—i.e., drawing a circle by specifying 3 points on the circumferance.

Select objects:

prompt message in the command window. Notice how the cursor has changed into a small square box (the pickbox). Click on the circle to select it. The circle will become highlighted to indicate its selection. 

Next, enter W at the command prompt to choose additional objects by drawing a rectangular selection boundary around them—whatever is completely within the selection box will be selected. Once the window is specified on the screen, AutoCAD will again display "Select objects:". To complete object selection, press Enter (or, as usual, the spacebar or the right mouse button)

Let's draw a square using relative co-ordinates. This time instead of selecting the Line tool, enter L (abbreviation for LINE) at the command prompt, followed by Enter. Enter the same absolute co-ordinates (5,2) for the first point. 

When asked for the next point, enter @2,0 to locate a point that is 2 units along the x-axis and 0 units along the y-axis from the previously entered point. The @ symbol indicates you're using relative co-odinates. 

Proceed to specify the square's co-ordinates by entering @0,2 as co-ordinates for the third point, and @-2,0 for the fourth point. Use the c (for "close") to complete the square.

Undo the previous LINE command. Use the polyline tool—it's on the Draw toolbar and is used to create a connected series of line and/or arc segments that form a single object. 

In the figure, below, the line is 11 units long and it makes a 45 degree angle to the x axis. Therefore its relative polar co-ordinates are @11<45 for its endpoint. 

Enter the co-ordinates for the first point (5,2). When asked for the next point, enter @2<0 to place a point that is at a distance of 2 units from the previous point at an angle of 0 degrees. Place the other points by entering @2<90 and @2<180. Note, that in AutoCAD, angles increase counter-clockwise.

The user defines interval spacing via a dialog box which is displayed by selecting Drawing Aids from the Tools menu. Place a check mark in the check box labelled On to turn on snapping. Click the On button to continue. 

Now try drawing a square. Notice how the cursor jumps in increments of 0.5 units.

You can select OSNAP commands by: 

• clicking the icon, or
• by typing in an appropriate abbreviation for the OSNAP at the prompt line when they are needed (see explanation below)

When an OSNAP command is used the cursor changes into a variously shaped yellow pick-symbol, depending on which OSNAP you select. This is placed over the feature/s or part of a feature you wish to snap to. Many times it will jump ahead to the area it knows you want when you get the cursor close to it. 

NOTE:
Although you can turn on an Osnap Command so that it stays on all the time from the Tools > Object Snap Settings... Running Osnaps dialog box, this is only used for repetitive snap constructions. A problem occurs when you forget to turn the snap off, and when you start a new task, you end up snapping to features you do not want, thus creating incorrect geometry. 
 

OSNAP commands and typed abbreviations:

To pan across the drawing, choose the Pan Realtime  tool from the Standard toolbar. Notice how the cursor changes from an arrow into a hand. Click and hold down the left mouse button, and move the cursor in the desired direction. the drawing follows the movement of the hand cursor. 

Zooming allows you to change drawing magnification by zooming in or out. 

• Zoom All tool (in the Standard toolbar) returns the drawing view to its original position.
• Zoom Out reduces the apparent drawing size in the graphic window by 50%.
• Zoom In enlarges by 200%.
• Zoom Window tool allows you to specify a rectangular area as an area of the drawing to fill the window.
• Zoom Realtime tool followed by a click anywhere in the graphics window, then moving the cursor in and out of the graphics window gives dynamic magnification. Pressing Escape or Enter exits the command.
• Zoom Previoustool returns you to the previous view of the drawing ... you can use it repeatedly to switch through up to 10 previous views.
• Zoom Extents  tool zooms to the edges of the drawing.
• Zoom Scale  Type a scale factor followed by X. AutoCAD's default zoom—e.g., type z, then Enter. Typing 2x, then enter makes the drawing appear twice as large on the screen. It zooms "in" Typing .5x, then enter makes the drawing appear half as large on the screen. It zooms "out".

AutoCAD will display the Create New Drawing dialog box in response to the New command. Call the new drawing temple.dwg. Select your home directory (or Z drive) as the location in which to save it. 

Click on the Start from Sratch button. You will then have to choose between the English default setting to use feet and inches, or Metric to use metric units. Click on Metric and then click the OK button to continue. 

Next, set the drawing limits—the drawing's invisible rectangular boundary. To calculate the size of that boundary, calculate the size of the rectangle that encloses everything. Then, a good rule of thumb is to calculate the size of a rectangle enclosing the model's footprint and then add 20% or so on each side. Drawing limits are specified by two points that correspond to the lower left and upper right of the bounding rectangle.

Click on the New button in the Layer & Linetype Properties dialog box. A new layer (initially called Layer1) will be added to the list. Type GRID to assign a new name to this layer. Notice that there is already one layer in the list, named 0. This is the default layer. If you don't create and use other layers then everything will be drawn on layer 0. 

Assign the green colour to layer GRID. If the Details section of the dialog box is not visible (unlike the figure above) then click on the Details>> button to display this additional information. Make sure that layer GRID is selected in the list and then click on the box labelled Color, displaying White as the layer's colour. Choose green in the drop-down list. 

The last step is to set layer GRID as the current layer—with GRID highlighted in the layers list, click on the Current button. Click OK to close the dialog box. Note, the current layer is displayed in the Object Properties toolbar.

Command: line (or l )

From point: 0,0 (i.e., the line starts at the origin) 

To point: 14000, 0 (horizontal line 14m long) 

to exit

Command: offset

Offset distance (etc.): 2000

Select object (etc.):

Pick or click on first line wih mouse using the left (Pick) button

Side to offset: Pick side above the line 

Repeat the above offset commands, moving up the screen, offsetting the newest line four more times, until there are six horizontal grid lines 2000mm apart.

to exit 

Draw first vertical grid line. 

Command: line (or l ) 

From point: 0,0 (i.e., line also starts at origin) 

To point: end

of

Pick left end of top line.

to exit 

Use Offset command to draw other verticals: 

Command: offset

Offset distance (etc.): 2000

Select object (etc.):

Pick or click on first line with mouse using left (Pick) button

Side to offset?

Pick right side of line

Repeat the above offset commands, moving across the screen, offsetting the newest line six more times until there are eight vertical grid lines 2000mm apart. 

to exit

Convert perimeter grid lines to FLOOR layer, thereby creating boundary of building.The steps: 

Command: change

Select objects: 

Select perimeter grid lines (click on each)

Properties etc: P (to change Properties) 

Change what? la (to change Layer) 

New Layer: floor

to exit 

The contents of the graphics window should resemble the figure below.