Auto Cad 3

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DRAWING AIDS , DRAWING LIMITS & DISPLAY CONTROL
UNIT 3
DRAWING AIDS,
DRAWING LIMITS AND DISPLAY
CONTROL
OBJECTIVES
General Objective :To understand and apply the concept of drawing aids, drawing
limits and display control
Specific Objectives : At the end of the unit you will be able to :
 Specify the Snap and Grid increment.

 Use the Setup and Create New Drawing dialog boxes
to accomplish basic drawing setup.
 Use the various OSNAP command options.
 Use the various ZOOM command options.
 Adjust the display using Realtime ZOOM and PAN

modes.
 Use the Ariel View feature to Zoom and Pan different

parts of a drawing.
 Create and restore views with the View Control dialog

box.
 Use and distinguish the REDRAW, REGEN, and

REDRAWALL commands.
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INPUT 3a
DRAWING AIDS
3.0 INTRODUCTION
When placing a line, arc or circle in a drawing, the easiest method is to enter point
by selecting a point in the drawing windows. The problem with these methods is that
it is inaccurate. To assist you in selecting points in the drawing windows, you can
setup the drawing aids to suit the design requirements of your current project.
AutoCAD provides with a number of features that will increase your efficiency and
make more productive. Many of these features are contained in the Drawing Aids
dialog box. They include Snap, Grid and Ortho as shown in the Figure 3.1
Figure 3.1 : Drawing Aids Dialog Box
Methods for opening the Drawing Aids dialog box include:
Menu : Tools> Drawing Aids

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Command : DDRMODES
The Ortho option is used to turn Ortho mode ON or OFF. By selecting Ortho command, we
can draw a line weather horizontal or vertically.
The Solid Fill mode option controls whether objects such as Polylines with widths and
Solids are displayed filled or in outline. This mode can be controlled from the command line
using the FILL command.
When Quick Text is checked, all text objects in the drawing will be displayed with empty
boundary boxes. This option is often used to increase Regen and Redraw times when the
drawing has a lot of text. This mode can also be set using the QTEXT command.
The Blips option controls whether temporary blips will be displayed when points are picked
or entered. Blips can be removed from the display using the Redraw command but they can
only be suppressed completely by turning Blip mode OFF. This mode can also be set using
the BLIPMODE system variable.
Highlight mode determines whether objects are highlighted or not when they are selected.
You can also control highlighting using the HIGHLIGHT system variable.
The Groups option turns automatic Group selection ON and OFF. When Groups mode is
turned ON, selecting an object which is a member of a previously defined group will
automatically select the whole group.
The Hatch option determines whether the hatch boundary is selected when a hatch object is
selected or not. When this mode is turned ON, the boundary is automatically selected with
the hatch.
3.1 SNAP
SNAP, when activated by pressing F9 or double-clicking on SNAP in the status line (

Figure 3.2 ) forces the cursor position to regular increments. The function can be assistance
to you by making it faster and more accurate for creating and editing objects. The default
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snap setting is 0.5 The Snap command is used to set the value for these invisible snap
increments. Snap spacing can be set to any value.
Figure 3.2 : The Status Line
The Snap command is easily typed, displaying the options in command line format. The
command line format is as follows:
Command : Snap
Snap spacing or ON/OFF/Aspect/rotate/Style< current value ): ( value or
letter ) ( enter a value or option )
ON/OFF
Selecting ON or OFF accomplishes the same action as toggling the F9 key, pressing
Ctrl+B, or double clicking SNAP on the status line. Typically, SNAP should be ON for
drawing and editing but turned OFF to make object selection easier ( the cursor moves
smoothly to any location with SNAP OFF )
Aspect
The Aspect option allows specification of unequal X and Y spacing for SNAP. This action
can also be accomplished in the drawing Aids dialog box by entering different values for X
Spacing and Y Spacing.
Rotate
SNAP can also be rotated about any point and set to any angle. When SNAP has been
rotated, the GRID, ORTHO, and “crosshairs” automatically follow this alignment.
Style
The style option allows switching between a standard snap pattern ( the default square or
rectangular ) and an Isometric snap pattern. If using the dialog box, toggle Isometric
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Snap/Grid On. When the SNAP Style or Rotate angle is changed, the GRID automatically
aligns with it.
3.2 GRID
GRID is visible on the screen, whereas SNAP is invisible. GRID is only a visible display of
some regular interval. GRID and SNAP can be independent of each other. In other words,
each can have separate spacing settings and the active state of each (ON, OFF) can be
controlled independently. The GRID follows the SNAP if SNAP is rotated or changed to
Isometric Style. Although the GRID spacing can be difference than SNAP, it can also be
forced to follow SNAP by using snap option. The default GRID setting is 0.5.
Figure 3.3 : The GRID is ON in the drawing area
The GRID cannot be plotted. It is not comprised of point object and therefore is not part of
the current drawing. GRID is only visual aids.
Grid can be accessed by command line format ( shown below ) or set via the Drawing Aids
dialog box ( Figure 3.2 ).
Command : grid
Gridspacing ( X ) or ON/OFF/Snap/Aspect<current value>: (value or letter)
( enter a value or option )
Grid spacing ( X )
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If you supply a value for the grid spacing, GRID is displayed at the spacing regardless of
SNAP spacing. If you key in an X as a suffix to the value ( for example, 2X ), the GRID is
displayed as that value times the SNAP spacing ( for example, “2 times” SNAP )
ON/OFF
The ON and OFF options simply make the grid visible or not ( like toggling the F7 key,
pressing Ctrl+G or double clicking GRID on the status line.
Snap
The snap option of the grid command forces the GRID spacing to equal that of SNAP, even
if SNAP is subsequently changed.
Aspect
The aspect option of Grid allows difference X and Y spacing ( causing a rectangular rather
than a square GRID )
3.3 THE FUNCTION KEYS

Many of the modes described above can be controlled quickly using the keyboard function
keys. In most cases this is quicker than using a pull-down or the command line. The
function keys are arranged along the top of your keyboard. AutoCAD uses function keys F1
to F10. Their use is described below.
The F1 key on your keyboard brings up the "Help Topics: AutoCAD Help" dialogue box.
You can use this dialogue box to search for help on any AutoCAD command or topic.
Simply follow the instructions in the dialogue box and when you have found the item you
wish to view, click on the "Display" button. You will usually be given a list of options in the
"Topics Found" dialogue box, select the most appropriate and click the "Display" button to
see the item.
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Figure 3.4: Help Topic Box
The F2 key is used to toggle (turn ON and OFF) the AutoCAD text window. This is a
floating version of the command window which can be resized to suit your requirements.
The text window contains the whole command history from the beginning of the drawing
session. If you wish, you can scroll back to see which commands you have used. The text
window is also useful for viewing the results of commands like ‘LIST’ which report to the
command line on a number of lines which may scroll off the command window and make
them difficult to view.
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Figure 3.5: AutoCAD Text Windows
The F3 key displays the "Osnap Settings" dialogue box.
The F4 key on your keyboard toggles tablet mode ON and OFF. This only has an effect if a
digitizing tablet has been calibrated.
The F5 key cycles through the Isoplanes, this only has an effect if "Isometric Snap/Grid"
mode is ON. The options are Left, Top and Right. The different options describe the plane
in which Ortho mode works. It also affects the orientation of Isocircles drawn with the
Ellipse command. The illustration on Figure 3.6 shows a cube with ‘isocircles’ drawn on the
top, left and right faces. Each isocircle was drawn using the corresponding isoplane.
Figure 3.6
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The F6 key is a three way toggle which changes the co-ordinate reading in the status bar. By
default the status bar shows co-ordinates using the Cartesian system. You can use the F6 key
to turn the co-ordinate readout OFF and to change to the polar system when you are in pick
mode.
The F7 key is used to toggle grid mode ON and OFF. When grid mode is ON a grid of dots
is shown on the screen as a drawing aid. You can set the grid spacing by using "Drawing
Aids" from the "Tools" pull-down. The grid points do not necessarily reflect the Snap
setting, they can be set independently, and however, you can force the grid to reflect the
snap setting by giving the grid setting a value of zero. The word "GRID" is highlighted in
the status bar when grid is set ON.
The F8 key on your keyboard can be used to toggle Ortho (orthogonal) mode ON and OFF.
When Ortho mode is ON AutoCAD will only allow you to draw either vertical or horizontal
lines. You can think of it as being a computer version of the parallel motion on your
drawing board. You can see if Ortho mode is ON by looking at the status bar. The word
"ORTHO" is highlighted when Ortho is turned ON.
The F9 key can be used to toggle Snap mode ON and OFF. Snap makes the crosshairs jump
to points on a defined grid. The snap spacing can be set using the "Drawing Aids" dialogue
box from the "Tools" pull-down menu. You can also see if Snap mode is ON by looking at
the status bar.
The F10 key is used to control the display of the status bar, the display can be toggled OFF
and ON.
3.4 OBJECT SNAP
The Object Snaps (Osnaps for short) are drawing aids which are used in conjunction with
other commands to help you draw accurately. Osnaps allow you to snap onto a specific
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object location when you are picking a point. For example, using Osnaps you can accurately
pick the end point of a line or the center of a circle. Osnaps in AutoCAD are so important
that you cannot draw accurately without them. For this reason, you must develop a good
understanding of what the Osnaps are and how they work.
This simple example is to give you an idea how Osnaps work. Follow the command
sequence below to draw a circle and then to draw a line from the center point of the circle to
a point on the circle's circumference at the 12 o'clock position.
To Draw the Circle

Command: CIRCLE
3P/2P/TTR/<Center point>:
(pick a point in the middle of the drawing window)
Diameter/<Radius>:
(pick another point to draw the circle, the size is not important)
Figure 3.7
To Draw the Line using Osnaps

Command: LINE
From point: CEN (this is the short-cut for the Center Osnap)
_cen of (pick a point on the circumference of the circle, P1 in the illustration)
To point: QUA (this is the short-cut for the Quadrant Osnap)
_qua of (pick a point on the circumference of the circle, P2 in the illustration)
To point: (to end)
When you use Osnaps you need only pick a point which is near to the point required
because AutoCAD automatically snaps to the object location implied by the particular
Osnap you use. Notice that when you move the cursor close enough to an Osnap location, it
is highlighted with an Osnap marker. Each Osnap has a different marker. As you have
already seen, the Center Osnap marker is a circle and the Quadrant Osnap marker is a
diamond. Notice also that when you move the cursor over a snap point the cursor jumps to
the snap location. This feature is known as Magnet.
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One thing that often catches new users out is that when you want to snap to the centre of a
circle, the pick point should be on the circle's circumference. This is because the circle has
no solidity, it is only an outline.
Although you can get quite close to the result above by picking freehand you will never be
able to pick as accurately as you can using Osnaps. Many AutoCAD
commands rely upon the fact that objects have been drawn accurately
and so you should always use Osnaps when you need to pick a point at a
particular location.
There are four basic methods of accessing the Osnaps:
• The Osnaps are available from a flyout button on the Standard

toolbar, see illustration on Figure 3.8
Figure 3.8
• The Osnaps are also available on their own Object Snap toolbar. If
this toolbar is not already displayed, you can display it using the
TOOLBAR command, View Toolbars… from the pull-down
menu. When the Toolbar dialogue box appears, simply check the box next to "Object
Snap" in the toolbars list. Many AutoCAD users work with the Object Snap toolbar
permanently docked on their screen because it gives one-click access to all of the
Osnaps, making drawing much more efficient.
• You can also access the Osnaps from the cursor menu. Hold the Shift key down on
the keyboard and right-click the mouse to bring up the cursor menu. The menu
appears at the current cursor position.
• Finally, you can also access the Osnaps from the keyboard by typing their
abbreviated name.
There are eleven Osnaps in all and although they are all useful in certain situations you will
probably find yourself using about half of them on a regular basis and the other half in
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special circumstances. However, it's a good idea to get to know all of the Osnaps so that you
can plan your drawing, knowing all of the tools at your disposal. A sensible use of Osnaps is
the best way to improve your drawing efficiency.
Each of the sections below is accompanied by a small screen-shot illustrating the Osnap in
use. In each case, drawing objects are shown in pale blue (cyan), the Osnap marker is shown
in red and the cursor cross-hairs in white. The corresponding Snap Tip is also shown. Snap
tips appear if you let the cursor hover over an Osnap location for a second or so and have a
similar function to the toolbar Tool Tips.
Endpoint
Toolbar :
Pull-down : Shift + Right Click Endpoint
Keyboard : END (when selecting objects)
The Endpoint Osnap snaps to the end points of lines and arcs and to polyline vertices. This
is one of the most useful and commonly used Osnaps.
Midpoint
Toolbar :
Pull-down : Shift + Right Click Midpoint
Keyboard : MID (when picking)
The Midpoint Osnap snaps to the mid poins of lines and arcs and to the mid point of
polyline segments.
Intersection
Toolbar :
Pull-down : Shift + Right Click Intersection
Keyboard : INT (when picking)
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The Intersection Osnap snaps to the physical intersection of any two drawing objects (i.e.
where lines, arcs or circles etc. cross each other) and to Polyline vertices. However, this
osnap can also be used to snap to intersection points which do not physically exist. This
feature is called the Extended Intersection (see the illustration above). To use the apparent
intersection feature, you must pick two points to indicate which two objects should be used.
Apparent Intersect
Toolbar :
Pull-down : Shift + Right Click Apparent Intersect
Keyboard : APP or APPINT (when picking)
Apparent Intersection snaps to the point where objects appear to intersect in the current
view. For example, you may be looking at a drawing in plan view where two line cross, as
in the illustration. However, since AutoCAD is a 3 dimensional drawing environment, the
two lines may not physically intersect. One line may be at ground level and the other may be
10 meters or more above or below ground level. As with the Intersection Osnap, Apparent
Intersection also has an "Extended" mode.
Center
Toolbar :
Pull-down : Shift + Right Click Center
Keyboard : CEN (when picking)
The Center Osnap snaps to the centre of a circle, however, the pick point used to pick the
centre must be on the circumference of the circle. This often causes some confusion for new
users.
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Quadrant
Toolbar :
Pull-down : Shift + Right Click Quadrant
Keyboard : QUA or QUAD (when picking)
The Quadrant Osnap snaps to one of the four circle quadrant points located at north, south,
east and west or 90, 270, 0 and 180 degrees respectively.
Tangent
Toolbar :
Pull-down : Shift + Right Click Tangent
Keyboard : TAN (when picking)
The Tangent Osnap snaps to a tangent point on a circle. This osnap works in two ways. You
can either draw a line from a point to the tangent point (see illustration) or you can draw a
line from a tangent point, the latter is reffered to as the "Deffered Tangent" snap mode.
Perpendicular
Toolbar :
Pull-down : Shift + Right Click Perpendicular
Keyboard : PER or PERP (when picking)
The Perpendicular Osnap snaps to a point which forms a perpendicular with the selected
object. As with the Tangent Osnap, Perpendicular can be used to draw a line to a
perpendicular point, as in the illustration or from a perpendicular point, known as the
"Deffered Perpendicular" snap mode
Insert
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Toolbar :
Pull-down : Shift + Right Click Insert
Keyboard : INS (when picking)
The Insert Osnap snaps to the insertion point of a block, text or an image.
Node
Toolbar :
Pull-down : Shift + Right Click Node
Keyboard : NODE (when picking)
The Node Osnap snaps to the center of a Point object. This osnap can be useful if you have
created a number of Points with the ‘Measure’ or ‘Divide’ commands. You could, for
example insert a number of regularly spaced tree symbols (blocks) along a line by using the
Node Osnap for the insertion point of each block.
Figure 3.9
The image above shows a Spline (cyan). The Measure command has been used to set Points
(red) at regular intervals and a tree symbol has been inserted with the Insert command at
each Point location using the Node Osnap.
Nearest
Toolbar :
Pull-down : Shift + Right Click Nearest
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Keyboard : NEA or NEAR (when picking)
The Nearest Osnap snaps to the nearest point on a drawing object. This Osnap is useful if
you want to make sure that a pick point lies on a drawing object but you don't necessarily
mind exactly where it is located.
From
The From Object Snap is a little more complicated than the other object snaps but it is well
worth getting to know because it can be very useful.
Toolbars :
Pull Down : Shift + Right Click From
Keyboard : FROM ( When Picking )
The From Osnap can be used in conjunction with other osnaps or ordinary pick points and
relative co-ordinates to pick offset points. The From Osnap does not snap to object snap
locations, rather it can be used to snap to points at some distance or offset from an object
snap location. Consider the following example.
Look at the illustration on the right. It shows a circle drawn on top of a line. It is
quite difficult to see how this circle could have been drawn accurately without the use of
construction lines. However, the From Osnap can be used to draw the circle without any
construction lines. Follow the command sequence below to discover how this is done.
To draw the Line

Command: LINE
From point: (pick a point in the lower half of the screen)
To point: @0,30
(this is a relative co-ordinate, 30 units above the first point)
To point: (to end)
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To draw the Circle

Command: CIRCLE
3P/2P/TTR/<Center point>: FROM
_from Base point: END ( click at the top of line )
_endp of <Offset>: @0,10
(this co-ordinate is a point 10 units from the endpoint in the Y direction)Diameter/<Radius>
<10.0000>: 10
(a radius value of 10 ensures that the southern point on the circle will just touch the top of
the line)
Your drawing should now look like the illustration above. Practice using the From Osnap
until you are quite sure how it works. Don't forget to prefix all co-ordinates with the @
symbol to let AutoCAD know that you are entering a relative co-ordinate. The North Point
exercise below demonstrates more uses of the From Osnap.
3.5 DRAWING LIMITS
The limits command allows you to set the size of the drawing area by specifying the lower
left and upper right corners in X,Y coordinates values. Methods for invoking the limits
command include :
Pull-down menu : Format>Drawing Limits

Command : Limits
When using command line, we can get the following step
Command : limits
Reset Model space limits
ON/OFF/<Lower left corner><0,0 or current values>: x,y or Enter ( Enter an X,Y
value or accept the 0,0 default-normally use 0,0 as lower left corner. )
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Upper right corner < 19,9>:x,y ( Enter new values to change upper-right corner to
allow adequate drawing area.)
The default Limits values in AutoCAD are 12 and 9; that is, 12 units in the X direction and
9 unit in the Y direction ( figure 3.10 ). Starting a drawing by any of the following methods
( of the setup or create new Drawing dialog boxes ) results in limits of 12 X 9
Figure 3.10
If the GRID is turned ON, the

dots are displayed only over the Limits. The AutoCAD screen ( default configuration )
displays additional area on the right past the Limits the units are generic decimal units that
can be used to represent inches, feet, millimeters, miles, or whatever is appropriate for the
intended drawing. Typically, however, decimal units are used to represent inches or
millimeters. If the default units are used to represent inches, the default drawing size would
be 12 by 9 inches.
Remember that when a CAD system is used to create a drawing, the geometry should be
drawn full size by specifying dimensions of object in real world units. A completed CAD
drawing or model is virtually an exact dimensional replica of the actual object. Scaling of
the drawing occurs only when plotting or printing the file to an actual fixed-size sheet of
paper.
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Before beginning to create an AutoCAD drawing, determine the size of the drawing area
needed for the intended geometry. After setting Units, appropriate Limits should be set in
order to draw the object or geometry to the real-world size in the actual units. There are no
practical maximum or minimum settings for Limits.
The X,Y values you enter as Limits are understood by AutoCAD as values in the units
specified by the Units command. For example, if you previously specified Architectural
units, then the values entered are understood as inches unless the notation for feet ( ` ) is
given ( 240,180 or 20’,15’ would define the same coordinate). Remember, you can type in
explicit feet and inch values only if Architectural or Engineering units have been specified
as the drawing units
If the ON option of Limits is used, limits checking is activated. Limits checking prevents
you from drawing objects outside of the limits by issuing an outside-limits error. This is
similar to drawing “ off the paper.” Limits checking is OFF by default.
Limits also defines the display area for GRID as well as the minimum area displayed when
Zoom All is used. Zoom All forces the full display of the limits. Zoom All can be invoked
by typing Z ( command alias ) then A for the all option
Changing Limits does not automatically change the display. As a general rule, you should
make a habit of invoking a Zoom All immediately following a change in Limits to display
the area defined by the new limits ( Figure 3.11 )
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Figure 3.11
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ACTIVITY 3a
ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS BELOW.
3.1 What is the function of Snap and Grid?. How to adjust the Snap 1.5 (X and
Y) spacing and Grid to 2.0 ( X and Y) spacing?
3.2 Complete the steps for the drawing setup below:
Begin a New Drawing. When the Start Up or Create New Drawing dialog
box appears, select Start from Scratch. Select the English default settings.
Set the GRID to 1.
Set SNAP to 0.125
Save this drawing.
3.3 Give the method for accessing the Osnaps and list all the Osnaps.
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FEEDBACK TO
ACTIVITY 3a
ANSWERS
3.1 The function of Snap and Grid is making faster and accurate for creating and editing
object. It also functions as a guidance for creating objects.
We can adjust the Snap and Grid by using ‘Drawing Aids Dialog Box’ and set the X
to 1.5 and Y to 2.0 or by type snap / grid and then set the X and Y.
3.4 There are four basic methods of accessing the Osnaps:

• From flyout button on the Standard toolbar
• From TOOLBAR command, View Toolbars… from the pull-down menu.

• From the cursor menu. Hold the Shift key down on the keyboard and right-click
the mouse to bring up the cursor menu. The menu appears at the current cursor
position.
• From the keyboard by typing their abbreviated name.
Osnaps List
1. Endpoint
2. Midpoint
3. Intersection
4. Apparent Intersect
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5. Center
6. Quadrant
7. Tangent
8. Perpendicular
9. Insert
10. Node
11. Nearest
INPUT 3b
3.6 DISPLAY CONTROL
The accepted CAD practice is to draw full size using actual units. Since the drawing
is a virtual dimensional replica of the actual object, a drawing could represent a vast
area (several hundred feet or even miles) or a small area (only millimeters). The
drawing is created full size with the actual units, but it can be displayed at any size
on the screen. Consider also that CAD systems provide for a very high degree of
dimensional precision, which permits the generation of drawings with great detail
and accuracy.
Display commands provide you with different options for changing the view
of your drawing while it is being created. These commands make it easier to work
with your drawing, and see the overall effects of changes. the commands that
facilitate viewing different areas of a drawing are ZOOM, PAN, and View.
When you use drawing or editing commands, you can utilize the transparent
PAN command and ZOOM command options to change the view and magnification
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of a drawing. You can also use display commands for saving and restoring specific
views, or to display several views.
The Viewing commands are found in the View pull-down menu (Figure 3.12 ).
Figure 3.12: View pull-down

menu
Aerial View
Zoom Previous
Pan Realtime
Zoom Realtime
Figure 3.13: Standard toolbar button

for viewing
The Standard toolbar contains a group of tools (icon buttons) for the Figure 3.12
Viewing commands located near the right end of the toolbar ( Figure. 3.12 ). The
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Realtime options of Pan and Zoom, Zoom Previous, and Aerial View each has an
icon permanently displayed on the toolbar, whereas the other Zoom options are
located on flyouts.
3.7 USING ZOOM COMMAND

When you create a drawing, you may need to change the way objects are viewed in
the drawing window. To achieve this, the orientation, magnification, or position of
the drawing may have to be adjusted. The ZOOM command options let you change
the view by increasing or decreasing the size of displayed images. You zoom in to
magnify objects so you can see more details. You zoom out to reduce objects in the
drawing window and view a larger portion of the drawing.
Zooming does not change the true size of a drawing or object. It only changes the
size of the view in your drawing window. You can view the entire drawing, specify a
display window, or zoom to re a specific scale. We can get Zoom All Toolbar from
Flyout toolbar.
3.7.1 Zoom Window
The Zoom Window option lets you zoom in on an area of your drawing by using a
window to specify the viewing boundaries. When you enter the Zoom Window
option, AutoCAD displays a rectangular window in the drawing window. Select a
point to specify where you want your view to start, then move the window to cover
the area or section you want to magnify ( Figure 3.14 )
START
END
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After
Before
Figure 3.14: Using Zoom Window
Methods for invoking the zoom window option include:
Toolbar :
Pull Down Menu : View> Zoom > Window
Command : ZOOM> Window
3.7.2 Zoom Previous
The Zoom Previous option displays the last view of your drawing. This option lets
you restore as many as ten previous views.
Methods for invoking the Zoom Previous option include:
Toolbar:
Menu: View> Zoom> Previous
Command: ZOOM> Previous
3.7.3 Zoom All
The Zoom All option lets you view the entire drawing in the current viewport. The
display shows the drawing limits and all objects even if the objects extend outside of
the drawing limits.
Methods for invoking the Zoom All option include:
Toolbar :
Menu : View> Zoom > All
Command : ZOOM> All

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3.7.4 Zoom Extents
The Zoom Extents option displays the region of the drawing where all objects you
draw are located. The display is based just on drawing objects, the drawing limits are
not considered to recalculate the display.
Methods for invoking the Zoom Extents option include:
Toolbar :
Menu : View > Zoom> Extents
Command : ZOOM> Extents
3.7.5 Zoom Center
The Zoom Center option lets you change the displayed size of an object and locate it
in the center of the viewport. When you enter the Zoom Center option, you are
prompted to locate a center point on the drawing plane. The next command prompt
lets you enter a magnification value or a height. The magnification value is followed
by an x which is the relative magnification factor. For the Height option, enter
smaller numbers for the height to enlarge the image size, and enter larger numbers
for the height to decrease the size.
Methods for invoking the Zoom Center option include:
Toolbar:
Menu: View > Zoom > Center
Command: ZOOM> Center
3.7.6 Dynamic
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The Zoom Dynamic option uses a viewbox to adjust the display. The view box
represents your viewport. This means that the region of your drawing that you select
with the view box will be displayed in the entire drawing window. You can enlarge,
reduce, and move the viewbox around your drawing to select the desired view.
Methods for invoking the Zoom Dynamic option include:
Toolbar :
Menu : View > Zoom> Dynamic
Command : ZOOM> Dynamic
3.7.7 Zoom Scale
The Zoom Scale option uses a scale factor to adjust the display. The value you enter
should correspond to the limits of the drawing.
The Scale (X) option requires you to use positive numbers to change the
magnification factor. When you enter the X option, the current display can be
enlarged or reduced by a certain multiple. For example, entering 2 at the Zoom Scale
Command prompt will display your drawing at twice its size, relative to its full view.
However, entering 2x at the Zoom Scale Command prompt will display your
drawing at twice the size as displayed in the current view.
You use the Scale (XP) option for scaling the display in floating viewports created in
paper space. This is useful when you are plotting layouts of scaled multiview
drawings.
Methods for invoking the Zoom Scale option include:
Toolbar :
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Menu : View> Zoom> Scale
Command : ZOOM> Scale
3.8 REALTIME DISPLAY
3.8.1 Zoom Realtime
When working with complex drawings, you spend significant time using the ZOOM
and PAN commands. After you invoke the command, the Realtime Zoom cursor is
displayed, drag the cursor down to decrease or up to increase the image. To activate
the Realtime ZOOM / PAN menu right-click the mouse.
The ZOOM/PAN cursor menu options include:
Exit - cancels the Realtime option and returns you to the Command prompt
Pan - Switches from Realtime ZOOM to PAN
Zoom - Switches from PAN to Realtime ZOOM
Zoom window - Displays a specified window and returns to REALTIME ZOOM
Zoom Previous - Restores the previous view and returns to the Realtime option
Zoom Extents - Displays the drawing extents and returns to the Realtime option
Methods for invoking the Realtime ZOOM command include:
Toolbar :
Menu : View> Zoom> Realtime
Commands : ZOOM
The Zoom/Pan Cursor menu is shown in the following figure:

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Figure 3.15: The ZOOM/PAN Cursor Menu
3.8.2 PAN REALTIME
With the PAN command, you can move the drawing around the drawing window
without changing the magnification. The two options that let you change the display
are Realtime and Point.
Methods for invoking the PAN command include:
Toolbar :
Menu : View> Pan> Realtime
Command : PAN
When you select the Realtime PAN option, the cursor changes into a hand cursor. To
change the location of your drawing, press the left mouse button. This locks the
cursor into its current location relative to the coordinate system used in the current
viewport. As you move the mouse, the drawing image pans to a new location. The
view of the objects in the drawing window shift in the same direction as the cursor.
The PAN Point option lets you specify a single point. AutoCAD then uses the
selected point and the current view orientation to displace the image. You also can
specify two points, AutoCAD computes the displacement between the two points
then moves the image in the drawing window. You can also pan by entering absolute
or relative coordinates at the Displacement prompt. To invoke the Pan Point option,
select Pan from the View menu, then choose Point.
The PAN command also has preset options that move the drawing in the specified
direction. You can access these options from the View menu. They include Left,
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Right, Up, and Down. A view of the Pan cascading menu is shown in the following
figure:
Figure 3.16: Pan cascading menu options
3.9 The Aerial View Zoom Feature
The Aerial View feature is a viewing aid that saves drawing time by displaying your entire
drawing in a separate window. You can then use the ZOOM and PAN command options
within the window to change the view of your drawing on the drawing window. If you keep
the Aerial View window open while you work, you can pan and zoom around your drawing
without entering commands at the Command prompt, or accessing them from the View
menu.
Methods for invoking the Aerial View window include:
Toolbar : Standard
Menu : View> Aerial View
Command : DSVIEWER
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Figure 3.17: Realtime Pan and Zoom cursor menu
When you enter the Aerial View window, AutoCAD displays the Aerial View window by
default, in the same location and with the same size as it was located in the last drawing
session. This means that you may have to move or change the size of the Aerial View
window so that you can have a better view of the display window. To do so, use the left
mouse button to select the title bar. Drag the window to a desired location and release the
left mouse button. To change the size of the window, move your cursor to one of the four
corners. When you see the doubled-pointed arrow, drag the cursor to change the window
size.
The Aerial View window contains the following four menus labeled View, Mode, Options,
and Help.
The View menu lets you select three zoom options to change the magnification of the Aerial
View. These include Zoom In, Zoom Out, and Global.
Zoom In - Increases the magnification of the drawing in the Aerial View by
zooming in by a factor of 2, centered on the current view box.
Zoom Out - Decreases the magnification of the drawing in the Aerial View by
zooming out by a factor of 2, centered on the current view box.
Global - Displays the entire drawing and the current view in the Aerial View
window.
3.10 USING REDRAW, REGEN AND REGEN ALL
3.10.1 REDRAW
The REDRAW command quickly refreshes the display of the current viewport by
removing all blips and any marks left from the use of editing commands. Blips are
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small crosses left on the drawing window after a point is selected. REDRAW is also a
transparent command.
Methods for invoking the REDRAW command include:
Menu : View > Redraw
Command : REDRAW
3.10.2 REGEN and REGENALL

The REGEN command refreshes the drawing window and recalculates all of the
objects in the drawing. When using the REGEN command, it will take AutoCAD a
longer time to redisplay your drawing than if the REDRAW command was used. This
is a major consideration when working with large drawings. The REGEN command
re-indexes the drawing database, re-computes drawing window coordinates for all
objects, and smoothes out all circles, arcs. ellipses, and splines. You may need to use
REGEN after changes in text styles, layer and linetype properties, and other changes
to properties.
Methods for invoking the REGEN command include:
Menu : View > Regen
Command : REGEN
The REGEN command only affects the current viewport. If you are working with
multiple viewports that need to be updated, use the REGENAL, command. The
REGENALL, command works the same way as REGEN except it regenerates all
viewports, and recalculates the drawing window coordinates and view resolution for
all objects in each of the active viewports.
Methods for invoking the REGENALL command include:

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Menu :View > Regen All

Command : REGENALL
Example using REGEN ALL
Create the circle with diameter 10mm ( Start new drawing with metric setting ).
Then zoom the circle. The figure below shown that the circle before zoom, after
zoom and after using regen command
AfterAfter
Original
Zoom Regen
Drawing
All
Windows
Figure 3.18 Using Regen All to smoother the display of object

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ACTIVITY 3 b
EXERCISES.
3.5 Controlling the Display
You often use the ZOOM command options to change the view in the drawing
window. In this activity, you use the ZOOM options to display new drawing views.
A. Using the Zoom Command
1. Open the file C:\Program files\AutoCAD R14\Sample\campus.dwg. The drawing

looks like the following figure:
B
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Figure 3.19 : Campus.dwg
2. From the View menu, choose Zoom, then choose Window.
3. In response to the First corner: prompt, select A. For the Other corner: select B.
The following figure shows the result of using zoom window:
Figure 3.20: Result of using ZOOM Window
4. To recall a previous display, you can use the Zoom command option Previous. At
the Command prompt, enter the command alias z.
5. Enter p at the Command prompt. The previous display is now displayed again.
6. To display all visible objects in the whole drawing, you can use the Zoom Extents
option.
7. From the View menu, choose Zoom, then choose Extents. All visible objects in the
drawings are now displayed.
8. To center an object in the middle of the drawing window, use the Zoom Center
option. At the Command prompt, enter z. Then enter c for the center option.
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B. Using Realtime ZOOM and PAN
1. The REALTIME PAN and ZOOM commands let you quickly obtain the display you
want. Open Campus.dwg file and use REALTIME ZOOM
2. To use the REALTIME ZOOM command, enter z and accept the default command
option <realtime> by pressing ENTER.
3. The Realtime Zoom cursor is now displayed as a magnifying glass with plus and
minus signs. Press the left mouse and drag the Realtime Zoom cursor up and down
the drawing window. When the desired view is displayed in the drawing window,
release the left mouse button.
4. Press the right mouse button. The Pan/Zoom cursor menu is displayed. Select the
Pan option, as shown in the following figure:
Figure 3.21: Realtime Pan and Zoom cursor menu
5. The Realtime Pan cursor is now displayed as a hand in the drawing window. Position
the Realtime Pan cursor over the office building. Drag the cursor around the drawing
window, and when the desired view is displayed in the drawing window, release the
left mouse button and press ENTER.
6. This concludes the ZOOM Command exercise. You are encouraged to explore the
other Zoom command options and command entry methods.
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7. Try another ZOOM command ( All, Extents, Center, Dynamics, Scale )
C. Using REDRAW, REGEN and REGEN ALL
Start New drawing. Start From Stractch > Metric. Create a circle with diameter 5
mm. Then zoom the circle using ZOOM Windows commands. What happen with this
circle? Using Regen All to make the circle smoothes
.
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FEEDBACK TO ACTIVITY 3b
Please discuss with your lecturer

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FOLLOW THE ENTIRE STEP BELOW AND ANSWER THE QUESTION.
QUESTION 3-1
a) Begin a New drawing. When the Start Up or Create New Drawing dialog box
appears, select Start From Scratch. Select the English default settings. Set Limits in
order to draw full size. Make the lower-left corner 0,0 and the upper-right at 24,18.
Set the grid to 1 and snap to 1. Draw the T character as shown below. Save your
drawing.
Figure 3.22
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Then, set the Grid to 0.5 What happened with the grid and snap? Discuss with your lecturer.
b) Draw the marker of each Osnap below
Osnap Marker
i. Endpoint
ii. Midpoint
iii. Center
iv. Quadrant
v. Intersection
vi. Perpendicular
vii. Tangent
c) Follow this exercise to demonstrate the use of some of the most commonly used
Osnaps.
To Draw the Triangle

Command: LINE
From point: (pick a point in the middle of the drawing area)
To point: @15,0
To point: FROM
_from Base point: MID
_mid of : (pick a point near the middle of the line)
<Offset>: @0,75
To point: C (to close)
To Draw the Vertical Line

Command: LINE
Figure 3.24
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From point: MID

_mid of : (pick point near the middle of the triangle base)
To point: @0,-100
To point:
To Draw the Horizontal Line

Command: LINE
From point: FROM
_from Base point: MID
_mid of : (pick a point near the middle of the vertical line)
<Offset>: @-25,0
To point: @50,0
To point:
To Draw the Circle

Command: CIRCLE
3P/2P/TTR/<Center point>: INT
_int of :(pick a point near the intersection of the two lines)
Diameter/<Radius> <12.5000>: 12.5
To Trim the Lines within the Circle

Command: TRIM
Select cutting edges: (Projmode = UCS, Edgemode = No extend)
Select objects: (pick the circle on its circumference)
Select objects:
<Select object to trim>/Project/Edge/Undo: (pick one of the two lines within the
circle)
<Select object to trim>/Project/Edge/Undo: (pick the other line within the circle)
<Select object to trim>/Project/Edge/Undo:
To Draw the Text

Command: DTEXT
Justify/Style/<Start point>: J
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Align/Fit/Center/Middle/Right/TL/TC/TR/ML/MC/MR/BL/BC/BR: M
Middle point: CEN
_cen of : (pick a point on the circumference of the circle)
Height <15.0000>: 15
Rotation angle <0>: 0
Text: N
Text:
Command:
d) Follow the step carefully

i. Begin a New drawing. Turn ON the Snap ( F9 ) and Grid ( F7 ). Draw
two circles, each with a 1.5 unit radius. The circle centers are at 3,5 and
5,5 See Figure 3.24
Figure 3.24
ii. Use Zoom All. Does the display change? Now use Zoom Extents. What
happens? Now use Zoom All again. Which option always showns all the
limits?
iii. Draw a circle with the center at 10,10 and with a radius of 5. now use
Zoom All. Notice the Grid only appears on the area defined by the limits.
Can you move the cursor to 0,0? Now use Zoom Extents. What happens?
Can you move the cursor to 0,0?
iv. Erase the large circle. Use Zoom All. Can you move the cursor 0,0? Use
Zoom Extents. Can you find point 0,0?
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e) Open the file C:\Program files\AutoCAD R14\Sample\azimuth.dwg. The drawing

looks like the following figure
Figure 3.25: Azimuth.dwg File
Using Zoom and Pan command, please show how the figures below look.
Figure 3.26
Figure 3.27
Figure 3.28
E2004/3/45
FEEDBACK TO SELF ASSESSMENT
Discuss your answers with your lecturer

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DRAWING AIDS , DRAWING LIMITS & DISPLAY CONTROL

Specific Objectives : At the end of the unit you will be able to :

 Specify the Snap and Grid increment.

 Adjust the display using Realtime ZOOM and PAN

 Use the Ariel View feature to Zoom and Pan different

 Create and restore views with the View Control dialog

 Use and distinguish the REDRAW, REGEN, and

Figure 3.1 : Drawing Aids Dialog Box

Methods for opening the Drawing Aids dialog box include:

Menu : Tools> Drawing Aids

SNAP, when activated by pressing F9 or double-clicking on SNAP in the status line (

Figure 3.2 : The Status Line

Figure 3.3 : The GRID is ON in the drawing area

3.3 THE FUNCTION KEYS

Figure 3.4: Help Topic Box

Figure 3.5: AutoCAD Text Windows

The F3 key displays the "Osnap Settings" dialogue box.

3.4 OBJECT SNAP

To Draw the Circle

To Draw the Line using Osnaps

There are four basic methods of accessing the Osnaps:

• The Osnaps are available from a flyout button on the Standard

Keyboard : NEA or NEAR (when picking)

To draw the Line

To draw the Circle

3.5 DRAWING LIMITS

Pull-down menu : Format>Drawing Limits

When using command line, we can get the following step

If the GRID is turned ON, the

ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS BELOW.

3.2 Complete the steps for the drawing setup below:

3.4 There are four basic methods of accessing the Osnaps:

• From TOOLBAR command, View Toolbars… from the pull-down menu.

3.6 DISPLAY CONTROL

Figure 3.12: View pull-down

Figure 3.13: Standard toolbar button

3.7 USING ZOOM COMMAND

3.7.1 Zoom Window

Figure 3.14: Using Zoom Window

Methods for invoking the zoom window option include:

Pull Down Menu : View> Zoom > Window

Command : ZOOM> Window

3.7.2 Zoom Previous

Methods for invoking the Zoom Previous option include:

Menu: View> Zoom> Previous

Command: ZOOM> Previous

3.7.3 Zoom All

Methods for invoking the Zoom All option include:

Menu : View> Zoom > All

Command : ZOOM> All

3.7.4 Zoom Extents

Methods for invoking the Zoom Extents option include:

Menu : View > Zoom> Extents

Command : ZOOM> Extents

3.7.5 Zoom Center

Methods for invoking the Zoom Center option include:

Menu: View > Zoom > Center

Command: ZOOM> Center

Methods for invoking the Zoom Dynamic option include:

Menu : View > Zoom> Dynamic

Command : ZOOM> Dynamic