28
AutoCAD and Its Applications—Basics
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
list to specify how recent fi les appear. You will learn more about starting new draw-
ings and opening existing fi les in Chapter 2. The
Connect
column offers access to
additional AutoCAD and Autodesk tools and resources online, including Autodesk
360. Autodesk 360 is an online service that provides cloud-computing resources for
fi le management functions and a variety of computer processing functions, such as
3D rendering. You can use Autodesk 360 to store fi les and system settings, access fi les
from a mobile device, and support fi le collaboration. Access the
Learn
page to explore
AutoCAD resources online, including the AutoCAD help system.
NOTE NOTE
The
New Tab
disappears when you turn off fi le tabs, but the
Create
and
Learn
pages remain.
Workspaces
The
Drafting & Annotation
workspace is active by default when you launch AutoCAD
and begin a new drawing. See Figure 1-5. The
Drafting & Annotation
workspace displays
interface features above and below a large drawing window, also called the graphics
window, and contains the commands and options most often used for 2D drawing.
To activate a different workspace, pick the
Workspace Switching
button on the
status bar and select a different workspace. See Figure 1-6. The
3D Basics
and
3D
Modeling
workspaces provide commands and options appropriate for 3D modeling.
The list also includes any saved custom workspaces.
workspace:
A preset work
environment
containing specific
interface items.
drawing window
(graphics window):
The largest area
in the AutoCAD
window, where
drawing and
modeling occurs.
Figure 1-5.
A new drawing started from the
acad.dwt
template installed with AutoCAD. The default
AutoCAD window appears with the
Drafting & Annotation
workspace active.
Minimize,
maximize,
restore,
or close
drawing
window
Navigation
bar
View
cube
Crosshairs
X axis
(horizontal)
Close Maximize Minimize InfoCenter
AutoCAD
title bar
Quick Access
toolbar
Application
Menu
Ribbon
File tabs
Viewport
controls
Y axis
(vertical)
Minor
grid lines
Major
grid lines
(bold)
Coordinate
system
icon
Command
line
Origin (X=0, Y=0, Z=0) Model space and
layout tabs
Workspace
Switching
button Status bar
Design Feed
palette