Chapter 1: This Is AutoCAD

Overview

AutoCAD has been around since 1983 when version 1.4 was introduced. Its longevity is the result of a solid product and a steadily expanding set of capabilities. The latest iteration, AutoCAD 2005, includes new features based on the more popular end- user wish-list items. These include a new tool to help you manage a set of drawings so you can spend less time worrying about the little details such as cross-references and sheet numbering. Importing spreadsheets is another area that has been greatly improved in AutoCAD 2005.Before you can start to make use of AutoCAD 2005's new capabilities, you'll need to become familiar with the basics. If you are completely new to AutoCAD, you'll want to read this first chapter carefully . It introduces you to many of AutoCAD's basic operations, such as opening and closing files, getting a close-up look at part of a drawing, and changing a drawing. If you are familiar with earlier versions of AutoCAD, you might want to skim through this chapter anyway to get acquainted with features you haven't already used; or you can jump ahead to Chapter 2. So let's get started!

Tip  

In this chapter, and throughout the rest of the book, when I say AutoCAD, I mean both AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. Some topics will apply only to AutoCAD. In those situations, you'll see an icon indicating that the topic only applies to AutoCAD and does not apply to AutoCAD LT. If you are using AutoCAD 2005 LT, these icons can help you focus on the topics that are more relevant to your work.