AutoCAD 2002 - One Step at a Time (2nd Edition)

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From the Back Cover
A text designed for introductory AutoCAD 2002 users that is ideal for either classroom use or independent study. This book takes a three-pronged approach to teaching AutoCAD 2002 by integrating text, CD-ROM, and web-based support to create a complete learning system.

Book — Includes 26 lessons designed to bring you fully up to speed with 2-D drawing and internet capabilities. Lessons are clearly marked for purpose and content, and provide hands-on, step-by-step instructions to help the student master the task. All instructions come in an easy to follow 3-column format labeled Do This!, which clearly presents the task at hand. Lessons contain tips, tricks, projects, and quizzes developed by the author through years of experience as a designer and CAD guru.

CD — This CD continues to provide instruction when you have left the classroom, or are studying on your own. 30 Drawing tasks are captured as multimedia presentations for your review. Each lesson is keyed to a specific section in the text marked with a CD icon. When you review these lessons on your computer, you will see a drawing being created on screen using the steps shown in the text. A voice accompanies the movements and provides audio instruction and reinforcement. In addition, the CD installs easy to find files of all the drawing lessons in the book.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Introduction
AutoCAD is a great software program, and in writing this text, I have tried to make learning it simple and fun. My system of step-by-step instructions, supported by reference material, creates a hands-on approach to which you can refer over and over again. Each lesson includes: explanations of command options, worked examples of each command, and where appropriate, tips on using specific techniques in industry. I've also worked with my publisher to support this book with the latest in technology—a multimedia tutorial CD-ROM with several AutoCAD tutorials, and a web site that provides a tool for self-assessment. AutoCAD is a challenging yet powerful program. We developed this package to provide all the support you need to master it.

Integrated, Multimedia Learning System
When you use this book, you are not just using a single text, but an integrated multimedia learning system made up of 3 parts:

1. Book — 25 AutoCAD lessons designed to bring you fully up to speed with 2-D drawing, and a first lesson in 3-D. Lessons are clearly marked as to purpose and content, and provide hands-on, step-by-step instructions to help the student master the task. Lessons contain tips and tricks developed through years of experience as a designer and CAD guru. Each lesson concludes with some extra steps for learning enhancement, several projects from a variety of disciplines and at various levels of mastery, and a list of review questions to validate student accomplishment. All lessons are covered in a clear, friendly and encouraging writing style to set the student at ease.

2. CD-ROM — This CD-ROM keeps on providing instruction when you have left the classroom, or are studying on your own. Here, you will find drawing exercises captured as multimedia tutorials for your review. Each tutorial is keyed to a specific "Do This" exercise in the text with a CD-ROM icon. Review these tutorials on your computer and you will see a drawing being created right on screen using the steps shown in the text. As the AutoCAD cursor moves across the screen, a voice accompanies the movements and provides audio instruction and reinforcement. I hope this CD-ROM truly extends your ability to learn AutoCAD and study on your own when an instructor is not available.

Why l Wrote This Book
Many years ago I took my first AutoCAD course. I had been drafting for almost ten years at the time, but I saw that the drawing board would eventually give way to the computer. So I dug deep into the shallow recesses of my wallet and came up with the $300 I needed to take the course. A year or so later, still on the board, I was designing piping systems for one of the big petrochemical companies in Houston. There was one computer on the job, but nobody knew how to use it. I dedicated my lunches and evenings to exploring that old machine — often messing it up badly and having to call the computer support folks to come fix it.

After a few months of this, my immediate supervisor was transferred to an AutoCAD project. He was somewhat lost in the computer world and I was the only one he knew who could turn one on. So he asked for me to follow him. I was excited by the prospect—until I learned that I was to be in charge of five CAD stations on the new project! Then I was a bit nervous (okay, terrified). I did what any closet teacher would do—I went right out and bought a book! For the next several weeks, I managed to stay exactly twelve hours ahead of the rest of my crew. That is, (it seemed miraculous) what I read one evening was what I was asked about the next day! So my reputation as a guru was established, simply because I was the guy who bought (and read) a book.

Why this book? My hope in writing this book has been to create something that is friendly rather than egghead academic. My intent is to teach my students (and readers) how to make a living using AutoCAD—essentially to answer the questions that I faced that first year as a guru and in the years since as an instructor. I will not cover every nook and cranny of this marvelous tool; but let's face it, it's a beginner's book—not an encyclopedia. Follow the book carefully and you can function as an apprentice CAD operator anywhere. Continue with Three Dimensional AutoCAD 2002: One Step at a Time upon completing this book, and you will be well on your way to becoming an advanced user in the 3-dimensional drawing world!

Pedagogy
Each lesson follows that old saying I learned back in "teacher school": tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em; tell 'em; tell 'em what you told 'em. So we begin each lesson with a set of goals stated simply as: Following this lesson, you will. This page gives you some idea of what you will cover in the lesson. Next, we cover the material. This occurs in three steps.

1. First we discuss a topic — Generally a command or procedure. This discussion includes the purpose of the command or procedure and a sample and explanation of either the command sequence or the dialog box. Refer to this section to answer questions concerning what a command or option does. Throughout the lesson, you will find colored inserts that provide additional information or tricks to help in your understanding of the topic.

2. Second we have a guided exercise called Do This: — These exercises act as an instructor telling you what to do one step at a time. Perhaps the most important feature of the text is its step-by-step approach. I divide more than 190 Do This: exercises into three columns in which I explain the task, show the task being done and show any tools that might make the task easier. I even show how the results of the task should appear on the student's computer screen. The exercises are generally divided into three columns. The Steps column tells you what to do. The Command Sequence column shows you what to do. The Tools column generally gives you a button or drop-down box option to the keyboard approach shown in the Command Sequence column.

3. Last we have an independent project (or several) — This occurs in the Exercises section at the end of each lesson. Here you find projects that you must do on your own. Setup information will be provided, but you must refer to previous lessons as needed to complete the project independently.

After covering the material, there is an Extra Steps section in each lesson. These are full of added features, tidbits of knowledge, or suggestions for further study.

The Tell 'em what you told 'em part (found in the What Have We Learned? section) does just that. In this section, I also try to give you some idea of what will come next. I finish each lesson with some review questions to reinforce what we have covered, and a selection of exercises from various industries.

This approach benefits each student by acting as an individualized instructor—sitting at the student's elbow and walking him or her through the task one-step-at-a-time. It benefits the instructor by freeing him from instructional chores to deal with problems or to reinforce student accomplishment.

Style Notes
I have followed several conventions in creating this text. Understanding them will make it easier to follow:

Throughout the text:

• I use italics for emphasis and to indicate the names of files
• I use bold to indicate AutoCAD prompts, buttons and names of buttons, system variables, and dialog box tabs
• I use bold and italics to indicate AutoCAD command names, hotkeys, and user input
• I CAPITALIZE names of dialog boxes and pull-down menus
• I use bullets and graduated indention to organize explanations of command options

Art
I wrote this text to be the most visual book on the market. Whenever possible, I tried to illustrate how to create drawings through generous use of detailed screen shots, and actual drawings. In teaching, I have found that my students really appreciate a visual approach to learning. This text contains over 1800 graphics!

Advanced Book
Once you have completed this text, you can learn more about AutoCAD's advanced features using Three-Dimensional AutoCAD 2002: One Step at a Time. An outline for this book is as follows.

Part 1: Welcome to the Third Dimension

Lesson 2: More of Z Basics
UCS vs. WCS, working planes, advanced viewing techniques

Part 2: Simple Modeling

Lesson 4: Predefined Surface Models
Using AutoCAD's predefined surface modeling tools—boxes, wedges, pyramids, etc.

Lesson 5: Complex Surface Models
Creating your own surface model shapes

Part 3: Simple Model Editing

Part 4: Advanced Modeling

Lesson 7: Solid Modeling Building Blocks
Using predefined solid modeling tools, creating your own solid modeling shapes

Lesson 8: Composite Solids
Turning building blocks into solid objects, shaping solid objects

Lesson 9: Editing 3D Solids
Tools designed for modifying 3D Solids

Lesson 10: Three-Dimensional Blocks and Three-Dimensional Plotting Tools
Creating and inserting three-dimensional blocks, solid plotting tools

Part 5: Rendering

Lesson 11: Is It Real or 15 It Rendered?
Creating photographic quality images from three-dimensional drawings

About the Author
Timothy Sean Sykes has been an instructor at Houston Community College and North Harris College in Houston, TX for the past 7 years. Tim has a degree in secondary education from Lamar University. Prior to teaching, he spent 16 years as a designer in the Piping, Furniture, Structural, and Display fields. Tim has extensive writing experience; he has worked as a freelance writer, published two cookbooks, written a newsletter, published two field guides for edible wild plants, and has written assembly instructions for modular and furniture construction articles.

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