An X-ref is an ‘external reference' to another AutoCAD drawing file. One file can reference many other files and display them as if they were one.

submitted: 5 years and 3759 days ago

AutoCAD has many tools to help you as a designer. Some of these you may have already used. The properties command gives you a lot of information about an object you have selected and allows you change most of them. AutoCAD also has some commands used specifically for pulling information from objects.

submitted: 5 years and 3759 days ago

By now you should be familiar with grips. These are the ‘blue squares' that get highlighted when you select an object outside of a command.

submitted: 5 years and 3760 days ago

Every file in a computer is created as a particular type or format. For example, a Corel WordPerfect letter file is created as a WPD file. A standard AutoCAD drawing is created as a DWG file. The difference is the way that the application program reads and writes the file.

submitted: 5 years and 3760 days ago

When you have been drawing in AutoCAD during these tutorials, almost all of the lines have been continuous. This is a particular linetype. Most simple drawings can be drawn with just this one linetype. More advanced drawings will require different linetypes such as center lines, hidden lines, phantom lines and others.

submitted: 5 years and 3760 days ago

Object snaps (Osnaps) are one of the handiest tools in AutoCAD. Without them, you would have a lot of trouble doing even the simplest dimension accurately. Before discussing how they are used, first think about what they are. Their name, "object snaps" means that they snap to objects, or more precisely, they snap to specific parts of an object. A line for example has 3 points that you can snap to: a midpoint and two endpoints. A circle has 5 points: a center and 4 quadrants. To use Osnaps effectively, you must know what points an object has that you are able to snap to.

submitted: 5 years and 3760 days ago

If you have successfully worked your way through this level, you should be able to create some decent looking models in AutoCAD. The next step is learning to render them. This lesson will include a look at the new lighting and rendering options in AutoCAD 2007.

submitted: 5 years and 3760 days ago

This lesson is designed to show how to create simple building in 3D from start to finish. The same process can be used to build more complex buildings as well.

submitted: 5 years and 3760 days ago

There is only one way to get better at AutoCAD and that is to practice. In 3D, you not only need to know the commands, but also how best to use them. As you start drawing in 3D, you may start looking at everyday objects and think about how they would be drawn. Look at the sample drawing page and think about how they were done - using only the commands shown in this level.

submitted: 5 years and 3760 days ago

Once you start working with AutoCAD's materials, you'll soon realize that you don't really have a large selection. What is you need a white stucco material for a wall? Or grass for the lawn, or brushed aluminum, or... well, you get the picture. What you need to do is create your own materials.

submitted: 5 years and 3760 days ago