This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive book about AutoCAD. I’ve tried to identify
common problem areas and provide some advice on how to approach them. I’m also try-
ing to preserve some traditional knowledge that is often overlooked by users: knowledge
as simple as making proper centerlines, as arcane as using DOS to improve efficiency, as
exciting as programming, and as dramatic as 3D modeling. Here’s a brief review of what’s
covered in each chapter.
Chapter 1: AutoCAD Productivity In this chapter, you’ll find general rules for using Auto-
CAD that I believe should be universal. The chapter includes a review of often-overlooked
AutoCAD features, many with options or applications that you may have missed.
Chapter 2: Managing Your System Most AutoCAD users are computer savvy, but if you’re
not, this chapter’s for you. In addition to information about how to make your computer
work well with AutoCAD, you’ll get some advice on the AutoCAD search path, see the
settings in Options that I consider the most significant, and find out how to actually use
SV$ files.
Chapter 3: Customizing the AutoCAD Interface You can make a lot of simple changes to
your interface that will improve your efficiency with AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT. Here’s
where you’ll learn about the CUI, quick keys, creating macros, and so on.
Chapter 4: Applying Graphics Standards AutoCAD is used distressingly often to produce
documentation that doesn’t meet the most fundamental requirements of technical graphics.
This chapter is a primer on how to make AutoCAD do the right thing, with a review of the
kinds of standards that drafters used to know and that AutoCAD users still should.
Chapter 5: Symbols, Tables, and Fields This is an area that bedevils a lot of users. You’ll
find information about blocks, the WBLOCK command, adding attributes, extracting
attribute values, and managing external references as well as helpful tips on AutoCAD
Tables and Fields.
Chapter 6: Plotting Being able to control the output from an AutoCAD drawing can set
you apart from the crowd. If you have any confusion about plotting, layouts, or Paper
Space, this expansion of the “Lost in Paper Space” workshop I’ve been doing for years at
Autodesk University should help you out.
Chapter 7: AutoCAD Scripts This often-overlooked tool is the basis for the biggest produc-
tivity tip in this book: the ability to modify thousands of drawings automatically. The lowly
script has some other great applications as well. Don’t skip this chapter—it could save you
a bundle and make you the office hero.
Chapter 8: AutoLISP by Example: Getting Started AutoLISP is the programming language
for users. Jump in. This chapter will have you programming in minutes.
Chapter 9: AutoLISP by Example: Getting Better Chapter 8 was designed to get you started,
but I’m betting that once you see how logical, fun, and easy it is to create programs in
AutoLISP, you’ll want to get better. In this chapter you’ll see examples of debugging tech-
niques, error handling and annotation, creating and using new AutoLISP functions, get-
ting and converting input, using conditional expressions, manipulating entities, opening
and creating text files of data, and more than a few other tricks. The chapter doesn’t cover
everything about AutoLISP, but it’ll keep you going for a long time.
Chapter 10: 3D for Everyone Any AutoCAD user will be able to create models after going
through this tutorial. And there are two suggestions for using legacy data—one architec-
tural, one mechanical—that may surprise you.
Chapter 11: AutoCAD Puzzlers I loved writing this chapter. It addresses 35 questions from
puzzled AutoCAD users. If you’re even a little bit of an AutoCAD geek, you’ll have fun
trying to figure them out. Don’t peek, but solutions are at the end.
