Instant AutoCAD: Essentials Using AutoCAD 2002

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From the Back Cover
This introductory text is part of a series of books designed to take the beginner in AutoCAD® to basic proficiency in record time and with as much fun as possible. With frequent Hands-On sessions to illustrate basic concepts and lots of questions, tests, and exercises, the learner is bound to understand AutoCAD®'s concepts more easily than ever before. And, with a conversational tone and many friendly illustrations, even the most reticent will become involved immediately.

The text contains a number of features that make the basic ideas more concrete and clear. These include:

• a list of Key Concepts at the start of each chapter
• an In a Nutshell conclusion for each chapter
• brief Hands-On labs throughout each chapter to reinforce newly learned concepts, making use of an integrated learner-friendly dialog box especially designed for this textbook
• a Testing...testing...l, 2, 3 section of fill-in-the-blank, true-false, multiple choice, and matching questions at the end of each chapter
• a What? question section at the end of each chapter
• a Let's Get Busy! list of related assignments at the end of each chapter
• a number of Tip boxes to introduce important ideas
• font enlargement of key ideas
• hundreds of drawings, menus, and icons to add clarity
• an appendix section with a listing of all the aliases and commands for AutoCAD® 2002

• hands-on practice for all concepts presented in the text
• filled with Exercises, Template files, and Symbol files in such areas as Architecture, Machine Design, Electrical, Electronics, Landscape, Piping and Welding
• a special Symbol Manager dialog box that makes inserting blocks an easy and efficient task

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
AutoCAD is a very complex and powerful software program, and it takes many years to become expert in it. Happily, the business of learning does not have to be a grave and studious one and you don't have to be an expert to make great strides in improving your work quality and productivity. It is just as instructive to learn the program with simple exercises, lighter language, and friendly graphics. In fact, for some it may be more instructive to learn a complex topic in this nonthreatening way.

Now, we're sure you can understand that a book this size will only touch on the basics of AutoCAD study—the very beginning of your CAD learning. Some topics, those you need to perform basic operations within AutoCAD, are explained more fully while others leave you to do extensive exploration on your own. We hope that this will be the start of a journey that will never end. In fact, we hope that this book will lead you directly to more specialty areas in AutoCAD.

The layout of the book is explained fully in Chapter 1, but it is essential to emphasize the various components that comprise a chapter. The first section in each chapter lists key ideas that will be covered in the chapter. Throughout the chapter you may see a variety of things: stylized print lifting an idea from the pages for emphasis, tip boxes that stress a certain fact about the program, command sequences in a very simple print that present the user's desired input in bold letters, and hands-on exercises to reinforce a new idea. As well, at the end of each chapter you will find a short-answer test, a series of questions requiring longer answers, and a number of assignments. Remember that the more you put into it in effort, study, and exercise completion, the more you'll take away from it in learning. It's up to you.

We have no doubt that if you enjoy anything in the field of graphics drawing and design, you will love the versatility that comes with a tool such as AutoCAD. As for us, the writers of these texts, we feel a rush of excitement each time someone starts the journey. It's like the envy you feel for someone who's going to see a really excellent film for the very first time. You're at the fair, you've bought your ticket—now let's get on the ride!

• Using AutoCAD 2002
  by Autodesk Press, Autodesk Press [ISBN: 0766838501]
  This text leads novices through the basics of AudoCAD to more advanced features such as customizing, 3D, and AutoLISP. Grabowski (editor of AutoCAD User magazine) provides a quick start chapter which, together with the drawing files on the accompanying CD-ROM and step-by step tutorials in the text, helps readers to gain skill and confidence in drafting with this program.
• Mastering AutoCAD 2002 (With CD-ROM)
  by George Omura [ISBN: 0782140157]
  Mastering AutoCAD 2002, Premium Edition is designed to benefit beginners and experts alike. Clear, step-by-step instruction guides you through basic and intermediate tasks. Advanced coverage-including four bonus chapters-helps you master potentially daunting AutoCAD topics such as database connectivity, AutoLISP and VBA programming, and support for splines, polylines, and other aspects of 3D modeling.
• AutoCAD 2002 Bible
  by Ellen Finkelstein [ISBN: 0764536117]
  If AutoCAD 2002 can do it, you can do it too … Packed with practical, real-world examples and authoritative advice, the AutoCAD 2002 Bible is your complete guide to the best AutoCAD yet. Expert author Ellen Finkelstein shows you how to master every aspect of this powerful design software, from 2D drawing and plotting fundamentals to database interactions, VBA and AutoLISP programming, Internet collaboration, and more.
• AutoCAD 2002 Inside & Out: Practical Techniques and Expert Insights for Maximum Productivity
  by Lynn Allen [ISBN: 157820075X]
  Show you the path to AutoCAD enlightenment. Along the way, you will learn how to:
  • Make AutoCAD easier and faster to use
  • Automate tedious and repetitive tasks
  • Customize AutoCAD to fit your needs...