Chapter 2-CREATING A DRAWING, SETTING UP WORK
AREAS
Q.1 Explain the procedure to create bill of material in AutoCAD using attribute
command.
Ans. Start the ATTDEF command
1. Draw the objects that will make up the block.
2. Choose Home tab>Block panel>Define Attributes to open the Attribute Definition dialog box.
Configure the Mode section
In the Mode section, check one or more of the following:
1. Invisible: Creates invisible attributes that you can extract, but don’t want to display in the
drawing.
2. Constant: Sets a constant value so that you don’t need to fill it in each time. You cannot edit
this value.
3. Verify: Prompts you to verify the value, useful when you have a preset.
4. Preset: Inserts a default value, but you can edit it if you set the ATTDIA system variable to 1.
5. Multiple Lines: Allows an attribute to contain multiple lines of text.
Configure the Attribute section
1. In the Attribute section, specify the Tag, which is like a field/column name for the attribute.
For example, enter Cost if the attribute will contain cost information.
2. Enter a prompt, which is similar to the tag, but can contain spaces.
3. Enter a value to set a default value. To insert a field, click the Insert Field button.
4. In the Text Options/Settings section, choose a justification, text style, height, and rotation.
5. In the Insertion Point section, check the Specify On-Screen check box to specify the location
of the attribute. Otherwise, enter the desired coordinates.
6. Click OK. At the prompt, specify the location if prompted. Here to Get It Now!
Make the block
Choose Make Block on the Draw toolbar and use the Block Definition dialog box to create the
block. When you select the attributes, separately pick them in the order you want them to appear
to prompt you for values.
When you’re ready to insert the block, you can specify attribute values on the command line or
in a dialog box. The default depends on which AutoCAD release you’re using. To use a dialog
box, change the value of the ATTDIA system variable to 1.
Insert the block
Use the INSERT command to insert the block. If you set ATTDIA to 1, you then see the Edit
Attributes dialog box, where you specify values. Otherwise, you see a prompt on the command
line. Any default values that you entered are shown in the text boxes. Enter the desired values
and click OK. The block now shows the attributes.
Insert a BOM into the drawing in tabular format
1. With the BOM report displayed in the dialog box, click Put on Drawing.
2. In the Table Generation Setup dialog box, select:
Column Labels: Include column labels
Title: Include time/date
Column Width: Calculate automatically. Click OK.
3. The table outline moves with your cursor. Position the table, and then click to place the table. The
BOM table is built where you placed it.
4. In the Report Generator, click Close.
Q.2 Explain following commands.
I) Tab surf:
Creates a mesh from a line or curve that is swept along a straight path. Select a line, arc, circle,
ellipse, or polyline to sweep in a straight path. Then select a line or polyline to determine the first
and last points of a vector that indicates the direction and length of the polygon mesh. The
MESHTYPE system variable sets which type of mesh is created. Mesh objects are created by
default. Set the variable to 0 to create legacy poly face or polygon mesh.
The following prompts are displayed.
1. Object for path curve
Specifies which object is swept along the path. The path curve defines the approximated
surface of the polygon mesh. It can be a line, arc, circle, ellipse, or 2D or 3D polyline. The
mesh is drawn starting at the point on the path curve closest to the selection point.
2. Object for direction vector.
Specifies a line or open polyline that defines the direction of the
II) Rev surf:
Creates a mesh by revolving a profile about an axis. Select a line, arc, circle, or 2D or 3D
polyline to sweep in a circular path around a selected axis. The MESHTYPE system
variable sets which type of mesh is created. Mesh objects are created by default. Set the variable
to 0 to create legacy poly face or polygon mesh.
The following prompts are displayed.
1. Object to revolve
Select a line, arc, circle, or 2D or 3D polyline.
2. Object that defines axis of revolution
Select a line or open 2D or 3D polyline. The axis direction cannot be parallel to the plane of
the original
object. The path curve is swept about the selected axis to define the mesh.
3. Start Angle
If set to a nonzero value, starts the mesh of revolution at an offset from the generating path
curve.
Specifying a start angle starts the mesh of revolution at an offset from the generating path
curve.
4. Included Angle
Specifies how far about the axis of revolution the mesh extends. The included angle is the
distance
through which the path curve is swept. Entering an included angle that is less than a full circle
prevents
the circle from closin
III) Rule surf:
Creates a mesh that represents the surface between two lines or curves. Select two edges that
define the mesh. The edges can be lines, arcs, splines, circles, or polylines. If one of the edges is
closed, then the other edge must also be closed. You can also use a point as one edge for either
an open or a closed curve. The MESHTYPE system variable sets which type of mesh is created.
Mesh objects are created by default. Set the variable to 0 to create legacy poly face or polygon
mesh.
For closed curves, the selection does not matter. If the curve is a circle, the ruled mesh begins at
the 0-degree quadrant point, as determined by the current X axis plus the current value of the
SNAPANG system variable. For closed polylines, the ruled mesh starts at the last vertex and
proceeds backward along the segments of the polyline.
The following prompts are displayed.
1. First defining curve
Specifies an object and start point for the new mesh object.
2. Second defining curve
Specifies an object and start point for the sweep of the new mesh object.
IV) Edge surf:
Creates a mesh between four contiguous edges or curves. Select four adjoining edges that define
the mesh. The edges can be lines, arcs, splines, or open polylines. The edges must touch at their
endpoints to form a single, closed loop. You can select the four edges in any order. The
MESHTYPE system variable sets which type of mesh is created. Mesh objects are created by
default. Set the variable to 0 to create legacy poly face or polygon mesh.
The following prompts are displayed.
1. Object 1 for surface edge
Specifies the first edge to be used as a boundary.
2. Object 2 for surface edge
Specifies the second edge to be used as a boundary.
3. Object 3 for surface edge
Specifies the third edge to be used as a boundary.
4. Object 4 for surface edge
Specifies the final edge to be used as a boundary.
V) Extrude:
Creates a 3D solid from an object that encloses an area, or a 3D surface from an object with open
ends.
Objects can be extruded orthogonally from the plane of the source object, in a specified
direction, or along a selected path. You can also specify a taper angle.
The following prompts are displayed.
1. Objects to Extrude
Specifies the objects to extrude.
2. Mode
Controls whether the extruded object is a solid or a surface.
4. Direction
Specifies the length and direction of the extrusion with two specified points.
5. Path
Specifies the extrusion path based on a selected object. The path is moved to the centroid of
the profile. Then the profile of the selected object is extruded along the chosen path to create
solids or surfaces.
6. Taper angle
Specifies the taper angler for the extrusion. Positive angles taper in from the base object.
Negative angles taper out. The default angle, 0, extrudes a 2D object perpendicular to its 2D
plane. All selected objects and loops are tapered to the same value. Specifying a large taper
angle or a long extrusion height can cause the object or portions of the object to taper to a
point before reaching the extrusion height.
7. Expression
Enter a formula or equation to specify the extrusion height.
VI) Union:
Combines two or more 3D solids, surfaces, or 2D regions into a single, composite 3D solid,
surface, or region. Select two or more objects of the same type to combine. The selection set can
contain objects that lie in any number of arbitrary planes. For mixed object types, selection sets
are divided into subsets that are joined separately. Solids are grouped in the first subset. The first
selected region and all subsequent coplanar regions are grouped in the second set, and so on. The
resulting composite solid includes the volume enclosed by all of the selected solids. Each of the
resulting composite regions encloses the area of all regions in a subset. You cannot use UNION
with mesh objects. However, if you select a mesh object, you will be prompted to convert it to a
3D solid or surface.
The following prompt is displayed.
1. Select objects
Select the 3D solids, surfaces, or regions to be combined.
VII) UCS:
Sets the origin and orientation of the current user coordinate system (UCS).The UCS is a
moveable Cartesian coordinate system that establishes the XY work plane, horizontal and vertical
directions, axes of rotation, and other useful geometric references. You can change the UCS
origin and orientation for convenience as you specify points, enter coordinates, and work with
drawing aids, such as Ortho mode and the grid.
Specify origin of UCS.Defines a new UCS using one, two, or three points:
A) If you specify a single point, the origin of the current UCS shifts without changing the
orientation of
the X, Y, and Z axes.
B) If you specify a second point, the UCS rotates to pass the positive X axis through this point.
C) If you specify a third point, the UCS rotates around the new X axis to define the positive Y
axis.
The three points specify an origin point, a point on the positive X axis, and a point on the
positive XY plane.
The following prompts are displayed.
1. Face
Dynamically aligns the UCS to a face on a 3D object.
Move the cursor over a face to preview how the UCS will be aligned.
2. Next
Locates the UCS on either the adjacent face or the back face of the selected edge.
3. Xflip
Rotates the UCS 180 degrees around the X axis.
4. Yflip
Rotates the UCS 180 degrees around the Y axis.
5. Accept
Accepts the changes and places the UCS.
