Autodesk AutoCAD AutoCAD Mechanical - 2010 Getting Started

AutoCAD Mechanical 2010

Getting Started

January 2009Part No. 206B1-050000-PM01A

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Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Why Use this Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Additional Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Chapter 2 Get Familiar with the Work Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

AutoCAD Mechanical User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Workspace Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Drawing File Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Chapter 3 Drawing Commands in AutoCAD Mechanical . . . . . . . . . . 11

Drawing Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Draw Construction Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Create Holes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Create Countersink Holes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Create Hatch Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Draw a Rectangle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Draw a Centerline Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Draw Section Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Create Chamfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Chapter 4 Modify Drawings with Power Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

iii

Power Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Chapter 5 Generate Standard Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Standard Parts Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Content Libraries Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Resize the Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Insert Screw Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Insert Fasteners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Edit Standard Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Projected Views of Standard Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Change Representations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Chapter 6 Organize Objects with Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Predefined Mechanical Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Mechanical Layer Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Predefined Object Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Object Property Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Chapter 7 Create Hidden Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Associative Hidden Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Chapter 8 Reusable Detailing Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Chamfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Title Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Associative Detail View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Chapter 9 Power Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Create Mechanical Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Multiple Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Edit Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Chapter 10 Add Part Lists and Balloons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Create Part References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

About Bills of Materials (BOMs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Create Balloons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Create Parts Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Chapter 11 International Drafting Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Set Drafting Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Create Custom Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Scale for Text and Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Standard-based Annotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

iv | Contents

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Contents | v

vi

Introduction

1

AutoCAD® Mechanical software extends the capabilities of AutoCAD® so that you can quickly
create and manage mechanical drawings.

This Getting Started guide provides concepts and short exercises to help you get started with
AutoCAD Mechanical.

Why Use this Guide

As you make the transition from AutoCAD to AutoCAD Mechanical, this guide
provides an introduction to the most commonly used features of AutoCAD
Mechanical. Use it to learn the basic features so you can start working quickly.

This guide focuses on:

■ Important concepts to get started working with AutoCAD Mechanical.

■ How to use mechanical features to draw, modify, organize, and annotate

your drawings efficiently.

If you are new to AutoCAD Mechanical, we recommend that you follow the
lessons in this guide from start to finish.

Additional Resources

From the Help menu, you can access the following resources:

■ Help provides detailed concepts, procedures, and reference information for

all features. To access the Help topics, select Help ➤ Mechanical Help Topics
on the menu bar on the Mechanical Classic workspace. You can also press
F1 at the Command prompt, in a dialog box, or at a prompt within a
command to display Help information.

1

■ Mechanical Feature Workshop demonstrates the top 10 most important

features in AutoCAD Mechanical.

■ Learning Resources link to additional resources about AutoCAD Mechanical.

Before You Begin

Before you begin, we recommend that you have a working knowledge of
Microsoft® operating systems and how to use basic AutoCAD commands.

You must have AutoCAD Mechanical installed and licensed on your computer
system to complete the lessons in this guide.

The exercise files are in the Getting_Started folder.

NOTE The path to the folder containing Getting_Started files is:

■ Windows Vista

Acadm\Getting_Started

■ Windows

Users\Documents\Autodesk\ACADM 2010\Acadm\Getting_Started

NOTE All AutoCAD commands and features are available while working on your
drawings in AutoCAD Mechanical.

®

XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All

®

: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\ACADM 2010\

2 | Chapter 1 Introduction

Get Familiar with the Work Area

This chapter shows how you can quickly get acquainted with the AutoCAD® Mechanical
work area. It also shows you how to work with the AutoCAD Mechanical user interface,
workspaces, and drawing file types.

AutoCAD Mechanical User Interface

When you start AutoCAD Mechanical, the Mechanical workspace appears as
the current work area. Use this workspace to learn to use AutoCAD Mechanical.
Refer to the following image.

2

3

About the Work Area

The work area consists of the following components:

1 Menu Browser button

Click this button to access a complete list of commands in the menu bar
and to search for Help information.

2 Ribbon

The ribbon contains commands in a set of tabs for performing tasks. It
is a mix of AutoCAD® and AutoCAD Mechanical commands.

3 Workspaces toolbar

This toolbar shows the current selection of workspaces. You can also
switch to other workspaces while working on your drawings.

4 Drawing area

The drawing area is where you create and place your drawing objects.

5 Command line

The command line shows the command that is executing, if any, and
prompts or messages from that command. You can view and select options
while running commands to create or edit objects in your drawing.

4 | Chapter 2 Get Familiar with the Work Area

6 Status bar

Contains the application and drawing status bars for you to view and
switch drawing settings, helping you to work efficiently on your design.

NOTE Whether you are running AutoCAD Mechanical in Windows® XP or Windows
Vista®, 32-bit or 64-bit versions, AutoCAD Mechanical shows a similar work area.

Workspace Settings

Selecting a workspace controls the display of the predefined menus, toolbars,
palettes, and dashboards for quick and easy access to commands. You can
choose a convenient workspace to start working on your drawing, or customize
and save your own workspaces according to your project requirements.

You can switch among all three workspaces, Mechanical, Structure, and
Mechanical Classic using the Workspaces toolbar.

The predefined workspaces built into AutoCAD Mechanical are:

■ Mechanical

■ Structure

■ Mechanical Classic

To set the current workspace, click and select your workspace from the
drop-down list under My Workspace. Switch back to your workspace by clicking
the My Workspace icon on the Workspaces toolbar.

Workspace Settings | 5

NOTE AutoCAD Mechanical automatically starts the last workspace you used,
but not your workspace (My Workspace) the next time you launch the application.

To use your workspace, click on the drawing Workspace toolbar.

NOTE If you add or remove any toolbars on the predefined workspace, these
changes do not appear in the active workspace the next time you use that
workspace. The changes appear when you select Automatically save workspace
changes in the Workspace Settings dialog box.

Switch Workspaces

You can switch between predefined and custom workspaces.

■ Mechanical Workspace

The Mechanical workspace contains relevant Mechanical ribbon tabs and
panels such as Draw, Draw Tools, Modify, Layers, Dimension, and Block
for a beginner using AutoCAD Mechanical.

6 | Chapter 2 Get Familiar with the Work Area

■ Structure Workspace

Select the Structure workspace when you create structured objects in
AutoCAD Mechanical. The program groups structured objects into parts,
subassemblies, and assemblies for quick selection and modification.

The mechanical browser in the left pane appears when you select the
structure workspace. Other relevant toolbars for structured objects appear
when you work on structured objects.

Workspace Settings | 7

NOTE To use the Structure workspace, it is important to understand how
mechanical structure works for your design. Learn more about mechanical
structure from Mechanical Help, or the built-in Learning Mechanical Structure
tutorial.

■ Mechanical Classic Workspace

The Mechanical Classic contains the most commonly used mechanical
toolbars such as Mechanical Main, Draw, Modify, Design Tools, Mechanical
Layer, Dimension, Content, Symbols, and Bill of Materials for you to create,
organize, edit, and annotate your drawings in AutoCAD Mechanical.

8 | Chapter 2 Get Familiar with the Work Area

Drawing File Types

AutoCAD Mechanical includes the complete installation of AutoCAD reinforced
with a complete suite of 2D mechanical features.

You can use drawings created in AutoCAD in AutoCAD Mechanical. The
program retains all entities when moving AutoCAD drawings to AutoCAD
Mechanical. It maintains visual fidelity when exchanging drawings with older
or 2009 versions of AutoCAD to AutoCAD Mechanical.

You can also save AutoCAD Mechanical drawings to formats from AutoCAD
2009 or earlier.

Drawing File Types | 9

10

Drawing Commands in AutoCAD Mechanical

Mechanical drawings consist of commonly used parts connected to other parts or features in
a design. AutoCAD® Mechanical drawing commands provide more flexibility for creating
these parts.

This chapter shows you how to create a part of an assembly efficiently using the primary
AutoCAD® commands together with the extended AutoCAD Mechanical drawing commands.

3

Drawing Commands

AutoCAD Mechanical provides several options for drawing commands. You can
create specialty lines, circles, arcs, automatic centerlines, and other elements in
your drawing. The drawing tools include more options for rectangles, arcs, and
circles.

11

This chapter shows you how to create a part (a gland) using AutoCAD
Mechanical Draw commands. Use the measurements in the following image
for the exercises.

12 | Chapter 3 Drawing Commands in AutoCAD Mechanical

Draw Construction Lines

AutoCAD Mechanical includes a full complement of construction lines for
aligning drafting views.

Click Home tab ➤ Draw Tools panel ➤ Construction Lines to open
the Construction Lines dialog box.

Draw Construction Lines

1 Begin a New drawing based on the am_iso template.

NOTE AutoCAD Mechanical includes eight drafting standard templates that

control drafting elements such as layer settings, object properties, text heights
and colors, and symbology formats. This lesson uses the ISO drafting standard.

2 Select the Mechanical workspace for this exercise.

3 Use the command Zoom ➤ All to show the entire page.

4 Based on the dimensions in the earlier image of the gland, use the Line

command to create the front view of the gland.

Draw Construction Lines | 13

5 Click Home tab ➤ Draw Tools panel ➤ Construction Lines drop-down

➤ Horizontal to create horizontal construction lines aligned to

the front view.

6 Click Home tab ➤ Draw Tools panel ➤ Construction Lines drop-down

➤ Vertical to create a vertical construction line for the position

of the side view. See the following image.

The program creates horizontal and vertical construction lines.

Create Holes

In AutoCAD, you create holes using Line, Circle, Trim, and Modify commands.
In AutoCAD Mechanical, the hole is a Power Object or mechanical object with
attributes or internal information. Use AMTHOLE2D to create the hole.

14 | Chapter 3 Drawing Commands in AutoCAD Mechanical

Create Holes

1 Click Content tab ➤ Holes panel ➤ Through Hole to create a

through hole.

2 Scroll to the bottom of the Details list, and select User Through Holes.

3 Select Front View.

4 Place a through hole with the diameter 8 mm, as specified.

5 Click Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Copy to create another similar

hole. The Power Copy command remembers the attributes of the Power
Object and creates another hole of the same size, symmetrical to the first
hole.

Use the Symmetry Power Snap selection in the Power Snap Settings dialog
box to create a hole symmetrical to the first hole. When prompts for an

insertion point, hold SHIFT and right-click to select in the context
menu to open the Power Snap Settings dialog box. Select the Symmetry
check box.

NOTE Click the check box Off for all other object snap settings.

Create Holes | 15

When inserting the hole, select the construction line at the center of the
part for its symmetry point.

6 Use the Circle, Line, and Trim commands to draw the side view of the

gland as shown in the following image. Draw the side view to full scale
using the dimensions on the first page of this lesson.

16 | Chapter 3 Drawing Commands in AutoCAD Mechanical

7 Click Content tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ Power View to create a

projected top view of the holes from the front view.

NOTE You can create two horizontal construction lines aligned from the
front view for the positions of the holes on the side view.

8 Create the top view of the holes based on the front view (parent).

9 The program creates the top view of the holes.

NOTE You can use Power View to create projected views of standard parts

such as screws, bolts, and nuts. It quickly creates a top view from a side view,
or a side view from a top view.

Create Holes | 17

Create Countersink Holes

Countersink holes are Power Objects or mechanical objects. Use AMCOUNTS2D
to create a countersink hole. You can quickly change the size of countersink
holes by using the Power Edit command.

Create a Countersink Hole

1 Click Content tab ➤ Holes panel drop-down ➤ Countersink .

2 Create a countersink hole with nominal diameter 26 mm, countersink

diameter 35 mm, and angle 90 degrees.

3 Specify its insertion point as shown in the following image.

4 Enter 30 for the hole length and 180 degrees for the rotation angle.

5 Enter 26 for the nominal diameter, 35 for the countersink diameter, and

90 degrees for the angle, and then click Finish.

6 The program creates a countersink hole.

18 | Chapter 3 Drawing Commands in AutoCAD Mechanical

7 Click Content tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ Power View to create the

projected top view of the countersink hole from the front view.

8 Click Home tab ➤ Draw Tools panel ➤ Erase all Construction Lines

.

9 The program creates a part (gland).

Create Countersink Holes | 19

Create Hatch Patterns

Hatches enable people using your mechanical drawings to distinguish between
parts in the section or breakout views more easily. In AutoCAD Mechanical,
there are three types of hatches: associative hatch, user-defined hatch, and
predefined hatch.

Predefined hatches are for manufacturing drawings with parts of different
sizes and shapes in an assembly. The program includes six predefined hatch
patterns with left and right directions, at 45-degree and 135-degree angles,
three hatch pattern widths, and one double-hatch pattern.

NOTE User-defined and predefined hatches are non-associative by default. To
change both to be associative, select the Make Predefined Hatches Associative
check box on the AM:Preferences tab of the Options dialog box.

Create Hatch Patterns

For many parts in an assembly, you can apply predefined hatches quickly by
selecting the part and using a Hatch menu command. For this exercise, select
the User-defined hatch command.

1 Click Home tab ➤ Draw Tools panel ➤ Hatch drop-down ➤

User-Defined Hatch to create hatch pattern.

2 Select User-defined pattern in the Pattern Type list. Set 45 degrees for

angle and 2.50 mm for Spacing in the Pattern properties list.

3 Click OK.

20 | Chapter 3 Drawing Commands in AutoCAD Mechanical

4 Click a point within the boundary area of the part to add the hatch

pattern.

5 Press ENTER.

6 Click a point within the next boundary area to add the hatch pattern.

See the following image.

7 Press ENTER to repeat the command. Clear the Adapt hatch distance at

less than five hatchlines check box in the Hatch dialog box. Doing so
ensures consistent hatch spacing on the part.

8 Press ENTER to repeat the command. Continue to add hatch patterns to

the parts.

Create Hatch Patterns | 21

The program creates the hatch patterns.

Draw a Rectangle

You can create rectangles and squares with the Rectangle command in
AutoCAD Mechanical. This function gives you a convenient and flexible way
to place rectangles at the specific positions with no further modification to
your design.

Try It: Draw a Rectangle

You can select the rectangle from the Rectangle toolbar or press ENTER at the
Rectangle command options to open the Rectangles dialog box.

For this exercise, attach a circular plate beside the gland you created. Select
the rectangle with the height-middle insertion point. Locate its middle point,
and specify its full base as 14 mm and its full height as 76 mm.

22 | Chapter 3 Drawing Commands in AutoCAD Mechanical

The program creates the rectangle and places it at the specified location.

Draw a Centerline Pattern

Mechanical drawings often require centerlines and centerline crosses with or
without holes, countersink holes, or counterbore holes. The Centerlines dialog
box provides you with multiple ways to create centerlines and holes quickly.

Draw a Centerline Pattern | 23