Synopses & Reviews
"Whether you are an experienced AutoCAD user or a newer member of the community, you have just made a great investment with the AutoCAD 2012 & AutoCAD LT 2012 Bible. This book will be a valuable reference and guide that we expect you to use on a regular basis to help you become more proficient and more productive with AutoCAD."
—Diane Li, AutoCAD Senior Product Manager, Autodesk, Inc.
Even AutoCAD pros keep this book on hand!
Discover what fans of the previous bestselling editions of this book already know—this in-depth guide from AutoCAD guru Ellen Finkelstein has everything you need to master AutoCAD. Every feature is covered clearly and comprehensively. Start with the basics and quickly progress, or, if you already know AutoCAD, find the detail you need to sharpen your skills to a fine point. If you want to learn AutoCAD, this is the book.
Get off to a quick start by drawing a window right away
Draw, view, and edit in 2D, then add text and dimensions
Build, view, and present complex 3D drawings
Customize commands, palettes, fonts, shapes, and more
Program AutoCAD with AutoLISP and VB.NET
Find a slew of new exercises with metric options
New feature! Array objects along a path
Work with real-world drawings
Create intelligent drawings with dynamic blocks and attribute labels
What's on the DVD?
Trial versions of both AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD LT 2012
Over 130 before-and-after drawings from working AutoCAD professionals
A selection of helpful add-on programs
Video tutorials to help you with complex features
Bonus chapter on working with external databases
System requirements: Please see the DVD appendix for details and system requirements.
DVD Included!
Start drawing today with the Quick Start tutorial
Create sophisticated 2D & 3D drawings and models
Move to advanced customization skills
Synopsis
This popular and always dependable AutoCAD reference-tutorial, the AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD LT 2012 Bible, will be revised by Ellen Finkelstein a long-time AutoCAD instructor and advocate. Because of its comprehensive coverage, it is very popular among both novice and experienced users. No features are left out. Even some of the employees at Autodesk keep this book at their workstations. "Even we need to look things up," writes an AutoCAD beta manager. "This book is the best one on AutoCAD that I have seen and I will recommend it to others.” Coverage of AutoCAD LT 2012—a less expensive, “light” version of AutoCAD 2012—is also incorporated throughout the book. Finkelstein starts the book with a Quick Start tutorial, so that even beginners will be doing exciting work with AutoCAD 2012 on their very first day. The chapters begin with the basics of creating drawings, using commands, and specifying coordinates. Finkelstein builds on this these chapters to cover more complex 2D and 3D drawing techniques, including using layers, creating dimensions, 3D coordinates, solids, and rendering. Finally, the book discusses advanced topics such as customization of commands and toolbars, and programming AutoCAD using AutoLISP and VBA. A DVD contains before and after drawings for each tutorial (all of these real-world drawings have been collected from AutoCAD professionals), bonus appendices, freeware and shareware programs.
Synopsis
The latest version of this perennial favorite, in-depth, reference-tutorialThis top-selling book has been updated by AutoCAD guru and author Ellen Finkelstein to provide you with the very latest coverage of both AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD LT 2012. It begins with a Quick Start tutorial, so you start creating right away. From there, the book covers so much in-depth material on AutoCAD that it is said that even Autodesk employees keep this comprehensive book at their desks. A DVD is included that features before-and-after drawings of all the tutorials and plenty of great examples from AutoCAD professionals.
- Explains in depth both AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD LT 2012
- Written by Ellen Finkelstein, a long-time AutoCAD instructor and very popular author of many editions of the AutoCAD Bible
- Starts with a tutorial on AutoCAD 2012 that covers the basics of creating drawings, using commands, and specifying coordinates
- Builds on early chapters to cover more complex 2D and 3D drawing techniquesDiscusses advanced topics such as customization and programming AutoCAD using AutoLISP and VBA
- Features a DVD with before-and-after drawings for each tutorial, and more
If you're eager to create 2D and 3D technical drawings with AutoCAD 2012, the AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD LT2012 Bible is what you need!
Table of Contents
Foreword.
Introduction.
Acknowledgments.
Part I: Introducing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Basics.
Quick Start: Drawing a Windo.
Chapter 1: Starting to Draw.
Chapter 2: Opening a Drawing.
Chapter 3: Using Commands.
Chapter 4: Specifying Coordinates.
Chapter 5: Setting Up a Drawing.
Part II: Drawing in Two Dimensions.
Chapter 6: Drawing Simple Lines.
Chapter 7: Drawing Curves and Points.
Chapter 8: Viewing Your Drawing.
Chapter 9: Editing Your Drawing with Basic Tools.
Chapter 10: Editing Your Drawing with Advanced Tools.
Chapter 11: Organizing Drawings with Layers and Object Properties.
Chapter 12: Obtaining Information from Your Drawing.
Chapter 13: Creating Text.
Chapter 14: Drawing Dimensions.
Chapter 15: Creating Dimension Styles.
Chapter 16: Drawing Complex Objects.
Chapter 17: Plotting and Printing Your Drawing.
Part III: Working with Data.
Chapter 18: Working with Blocks.
Chapter 19: Adding Attributes to Blocks.
Chapter 20: Referencing Other Drawings.
Part IV: Drawing in Three Dimensions.
Chapter 21: Specifying 3D Coordinates.
Chapter 22: Viewing 3D Drawings.
Chapter 23: Creating 3D Surfaces.
Chapter 24: Creating Solids and Editing in 3D.
Chapter 25: Rendering in 3D.
Part V: Organizing and Managing Drawings.
Chapter 26: Keeping Control of Your Drawings.
Chapter 27: Working with Other Applications.
Chapter 28: Creating Electronic Output.
Part VI: Customizing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT.
Chapter 29: Customizing Commands, Toolbars, and Tool Palettes.
Chapter 30: Creating Macros and Slide Shows.
Chapter 31: Creating Your Own Linetypes and Hatch Patterns.
Chapter 32: Creating Shapes and Fonts.
Chapter 33: Customizing the Ribbon and Menus.
Part VII: Programming AutoCAD.
Chapter 34: Understanding AutoLISP and Visual LISP Basics.
Chapter 35: Exploring AutoLISP Further.
Chapter 36: Exploring Advanced AutoLISP Topics.
Chapter 37: Programming with .NET.
Part VIII: Appendixes.
Appendix A: Installing and Configuring AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT.
Appendix B: AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Resources.
Appendix C: What’s on the DVD.
Bonus Chapter.
Bonus Chapter: Working with External Databases.
Index.