Introducing AutoCAD 2008

GEORGE OMURA

WILEY PUBLISHING, INC.

Acquisitions Editor: Willem Knibbe

Development Editor: Kari Gulbrandsen

Technical Editor: Paul Richardson

Production Editor: Martine Dardignac

Copy Editor: Kim Wimpsett

Production Manager: Tim Tate

Vice President and Executive Group Publisher: Richard Swadley

Vice President and Executive Publisher: Joseph B. Wikert

Vice President and Publisher: Neil Edde

Book Designer: Caryl Gorska

Compositor: Kate Kaminski, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Proofreader: Ian Golder

Indexer: Ted Laux

Anniversary Logo Design: Richard Pacifico

Cover Designer: Ryan Sneed

Large cover image: © Heinz Wohner, LOOK, Getty Images

Other cover images: © Digital Stock

Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-0-470-12150-4

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at [phone], outside the U.S. at [phone], or fax [phone].

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

 Omura, George.  Introducing AutoCAD 2008 / George Omura.     p. cm.  Includes index. 

ISBN 978-0-470-12150-4 (pbk.)

1. Mechanical drawing. 2. Computer graphics. 3. AutoCAD. 4. Three-dimensional display systems. I. Title.

T353.O67 2007

620'.00420285536-dc22

2007009244

TRADEMARKS: Wiley, the Wiley logo, and the Sybex logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. AutoCAD is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Dear Reader,

Thank you for choosing Introducing AutoCAD 2008. This book is part of a family of premium quality Sybex books, all written by outstanding authors who combine practical experience with a gift for teaching.

Sybex was founded in 1976. More than thirty years later, we're still committed to producing consistently exceptional books. With each of our titles we're working hard to set a new standard for the industry. From the authors we work with to the paper we print on, our goal is to bring you the best books available.

I hope you see all that reflected in these pages. I'd be very interested to hear your comments and get your feedback on how we're doing. Feel free to let me know what you think about this or any other Sybex book by sending me an email at [e-mail], or if you think you've found an error in this book, please visit http://wiley.custhelp.com. Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex.

Best regards,

Neil Edde
Vice President and Publisher
Sybex, an Imprint of Wiley

To my mother, who always seems amazed that I write for a living

Acknowledgments

I'd like to thank Willem Knibbe for giving me the opportunity to work with Sybex, an imprint of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., on this project. I'd also like to thank Kari Gulbrandsen for keeping the project moving along. Thanks to Martine Dardignac for coordinating the project. Paul Richardson offered his AutoCAD expertise while checking all the details. A big thanks to my copy editor, Kim Wimpsett, for her dedicated work on each chapter and to the proofreader, Ian Golder, for his careful attention to detail. ∎ At Autodesk, Jim Quanci once again gave his full support for our work and cheerfully answered all our questions. Thanks to Shaan Hurley for graciously opening the doors to the AutoCAD beta program. And thanks to Denis Cadu, who is always more than willing to help us in our times of need. ∎ Thank you all for making this book possible.