AutoCAD

Overview

AutoCAD can create any 2D drawing and 3D model or construction that can be drawn by hand. The program also allows the user to group or layer objects, keep objects in a database for future use, and manipulate properties of objects, such as size, shape, and location.

Program of Study

Engineering

Licensing Information

No additional licensing required. It is available as a free download for educational use for faculty and students. 

Access is available from the AUTOCAD website (autodesk.ca). 

Installation Instructions

Pre-installation notes:

 

Downloading and Installing AutoCAD 2020:

Connect to the Autodesk student website:

http://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software

 

You should see a web page that looks something like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Select AutoCAD.

You will then be taken to the free software download page where you must create an account with Autodesk:

 

Create an account with Autodesk by selecting CREATE ACCOUNT. You should use your Acadia email address.

To create an account, you need to answer a series of questions. The first page asks for the country and your role. Select Student. Answer the rest of the questions as appropriate.

When this is completed, submitted, and accepted you will be sent an email to confirm and activate your account. Once your account is activated (it usually happens very fast) you can click on the “SIGN IN” button on the download page.  Please read the following notes before choosing your installer:

1.  We suggest you install the English version, even if it is not your first language. Your professor will not be able to help you on your computer if AutoCAD is using any language other than English.

2.  There are 32-bit and 64-bit Windows versions of AutoCAD 2017, and a 64-bit version for MacOS.  You will likely require the 64-bit version.  You can determine the version of Windows you are running as follows:

On Windows 7, click the Start button, right-click Computer, and then click Properties.  The version of the operating system is listed next to "System type".

 

On Windows 8, gesture to Settings (lower right corner of the screen) and select PC Info.

 

On Windows 10, right-click on the Windows icon in the lower left corner and click on “System” in the list of options presented.

 

3.  There does not appear to be a Mac version of 2017 or 2016, but there is a Mac version for 2015. Consider that your professor must use the Windows version in class and cannot help you with the Mac version. If you do install the Mac version, you should likely also install the Windows 2017 version. You will need Windows on your Mac to be able to run the solid modeling software, and likely other engineering programs you will need.  Instructions on getting a free copy of Windows 10, and installing it on your Mac, can be found in the Related Articles section to the right of this page.

 

The serial number will also be sent to you in an email. This is your personal and unique serial number for AutoCAD. Make sure you record this somewhere you can find it. You will need this to activate your AutoCAD (only runs for 30 days without activation) or if you need to reinstall the program.

You will be able to select the INSTALL NOW button. Note there is also a Download option, but we suggest you just let it go ahead and install. If you click on the DOWNLOAD NOW choice Autodesk will install an Autodesk Download manager on your computer to manage the download. This may upset any firewall software you have running. 

Now you have your own copy of AutoCAD installed and registered.  The first time you run AutoCAD make sure you are connected to the Internet and AutoCAD will connect to Autodesk’s server and activate your copy. The email Autodesk sends you also contains a 4 line “Activation Code” you can use to activate at a later date. AutoCAD will run for 30 days as a trial without activation.

 

Setting up AutoCAD for use in APSC 1223:

When you start AutoCAD for the first time you will eventually see the “Start” tab.
 

You can then start a new drawing by clicking on the “Start Drawing” picture (by default this starts an “inch” units drawing using the “acad.dwt” template drawing.

 

                                         
It shows various drawing templates stored in the default template folder (you can change this). However, this requires you to know that the acad.dwt template is for inch units and the acadiso.dwt template is for millimeter units. The “No Template – Imperial” is the same as “acad.dwt” and the “No Template – Metris” is the same as “acadiso.dwt”.

 

Another way you can start a new drawing in AutoCAD is to use either the New file icon or the AutoCAD symbol (red “A”) in the upper left, followed by clicking on “New”.  By default AutoCAD presents you with the “Select Template” dialogue box shown below:

 

 

Select either “acad.dwt” for English inch units drawings, or “acadiso.dwt” for metric mm drawings as above.

 

You can also use the “STARTUP” command (you have to type this command) to tell AutoCAD to show the Startup diaglogue box instead of the Select Template dialogue box. You just type the AutoCAD command “STARTUP”, and enter a value of “1” (replacing the default value of 3), and from then on you will see the dialogue box below when you start a new drawing. We suggest you use this method as it is simpler, avoids the VERY COMMON mistake of working in the wrong units, and also gives you the option to use template drawings (third icon) if you wish.

 

There are several AutoCAD user interface (UI) items you can modify.

We usually turn off the View Cube,

which you can do from the “View” ribbon

We usually also turn off the Viewport Controles.  You need to use the Options menu to do this. Click on the AutoCAD big red A and then “Options” at the bottom as seen in the next picture.

 

 

You can then uncheck the Display the Viewport Controls in the “3D Modeling” tab.

 

You can change your background color to White. We find it both projects better here, and is easier on the eyes. Again you use the “Options” dialogue box as above, but select the “Display” tab.

 

 

                If you find the AutoCAD Toolbar Icons too

                small you can check the Use large buttons

                for Toolbars option to make

                them bigger. We will see Toolbars later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Select the “Colors” button in the picture above, then the “Color:” pull down in the picture below.

 

You can also customize the “Status Bar” to only show the items you use frequently. This prevents clicking on something by mistake. Below is the default Status bar. The Icon at the far right is used to customize it.

 

Below is a screen shot showing the items you can turn on (checked) or turn off:

            Note that the Coordinates status icon is turned on.

            This is important if Dynamic Input is turned off.

             (See next section for Dynamic Input control.)

 

 

                If you like Dynamic Input (data is displayed at

                cursor during drawing commands) then you may want

                to leave the control for it enabled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note that the “Dynamic Input” control is off by default and Dynamic Input itself is on by default. Dynamic Input can be difficult, you can turn it off. To do so, you first have to turn on the Dynamic Input control,

then click the icon to turn it off

it should look like the picture above.

 

If you want to turn on the pull down menu of commands, use the pull down arrow in the Quick Access menu

and click on “Show Menu Bar” near the bottom.

 

The figure below shows a screen shot of one of the workspaces (a workspace is a particular configuration of the AutoCAD User Interface or UI) commonly used. You can use it to set up your workspace to look like this if you wish. The big difference in the figure below is that several toolbars have been turned on.

 

To turn on the first toolbar:

1. type the “-TOOLBAR” command,  (Note the “-“ minus sign preceding the word TOOLBAR. It is important in this case).
2. type “DRAW” at the <ALL> prompt.  (You don’t want to turn on “All” the toolbars.)
3. Hit “Enter” at the <Show> prompt.
   
   After you have one toolbar turned on, you can turn on others by Right-Clicking on the toolbar and selecting any toolbar from the list.  
   
   Once you have done any of these customizations to the workspace, it is important to save the changes you have made and give it a new workspace name.
   
   Use the Save workspace icon and the “Save current as” choice  to save any changes you make to the workspace.

 

Professor's note:

Be sure to go to the Windows Control Panel and change the Update settings so that Windows updates will be uploaded, but NOT installed until you OK it. Otherwise you will power on your computer at the beginning of class someday (usually before a test) and Windows will start an update that may take 30 minutes or more, rebooting your computer a couple of times.