Project house99 - step 1

Lesson 1.5.0 - Start your first Project with AutoCAD

In this step our goal is to draw the floor plan of the project house99 as shown in Fig.1.5.0.1.

The dimensions and Text are only for you to look at and use, not draw in yet, as we will cover it in the next step. The color of the lines will be the default one of autocad (black) and have the same default thickness. You will edit theme in the next step.

In this lesson you will do the following:

1. File preparation
2. Set Units and Scale
3. Drawing the Floor Plan Outline
4. Drawing the Exterior Walls
5. Drawing the Interior Walls

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1.5.1 Basic File Preparation

First you have to create in your computer a folder with the name 'myProject', and within it another folder with the name 'house99'. Within the folder house99 create three more subfolders with the names, step1, step2, step3, step4, and step5 respectively (Fig.1.5.1.4).
These are the folders where you will storage the drawing files that you will create during the design of your project house99.

Before doing anything else, go to status bar, click on the 'Display drawing grid' icon (Fig.1.5.1.1), to turn it OFF (it has to be grey color, when the color is blue it is ON). You can also change the 'Display drawing grid' beteween On and OFF by clicking F7.

Go back to the open Application menu (Fig.1.5.1.2) and move your cursor over New.
At the new window 'Create a new drawing' that will be displayed (Fig.1.5.1.2) select 'Drawing'.

At the new window 'Select Table' that will be displayed (Fig.1.5.1.3) select from the list the Template names 'acad' and click Open.
In the Select Template dialog box, select acad.dwt and click Open. Metric users should select acadiso.dwt and then click Open.

A blank window appears in AutoCAD where you will start designing the project.

Save your drawing  in folder myProject/house99/step1 with the name  house99_start.dwg, as shown in Fig.1.5.1.4.

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1.5.2 - Setting Units and Scale

Now that the basic file is set up, you will start your design drawing its layout as shown in Fig.1.5.0.1. (In this step you will not set dimensions and text, and the color will be black).

Before you start to draw, you decide on the units of measurement to be used in the drawing, and set the format, precision, and other conventions to be used in coordinates and distances.

Every object you create is measured in drawing units. Before you start to draw, you must decide what one drawing unit will represent based on what you plan to draw. Then you create your drawing at actual size with that convention.

AutoCAD does not care; it gives you a system and lets you adapt it to any situation or design. Then, you just draw in real-life units or, as we say in CAD, 1-to-1 units. This is the Golden Rule of AutoCAD. Always draw everything to real-life size. Do not scale objects up or down.

For example, the objects in  a drawing might represent a house with external dimensions that are each 12,5 and 10,00 meters long, or a section of a mechanical part that is measured in millimeters. In the first case the units will represent meters, this means that when you type 2 you mean 2 meters, in the second case when you type 200, you mean millimeters.

The default unit system in AutoCAD, until you change it, is a simple decimal system of the type we use in everyday life. However, it is unitless, meaning that the 2 or 3 you entered could have been anything—feet, inches, yards, meters, miles, or millimeters.

Architects drawing in imperial unit system, prefer their distances broken down to feet and inches, because it is always easier to understand and visualize a distance of 22'-6" than 270". To switch to architectural units, type in units and press Enter, or select Format → Units… from the cascading menus, and the dialog box in Figure 1.5.2.1 appears.

Simply select Architectural from the drop-down menu at the upper left and ignore the rest of the options in the dialog box; there is no need to change anything else at this point. Now, as you draw and enter in units, they are recognized as feet or inches. To enter in 5 feet (such as when using the offset command), type 5'. To enter in 5 inches, there is no need for an inch sign, just type in the number 5; AutoCAD understands. To mix feet and inches, type in 5'6, which is of course 5'-6"; there is no need for a hyphen either.

For our project we will use the decimal system. On the Drawing Units table select the following:

Length ► Type = Decimal, Precision = 0.000, Insertion Scale = Meters, and Angle ► Type = Decimal Degrees, Precision = 0.00.

It means that if you want to draw a line with length 2 meters, you will type 2, if the length of the line is 2 meters and 30 centimeters you will type 2.30.

 

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1.5.3 Draw the Floor Plan Outline

Now that the basic file is set up, you will start to design the layout of the floorplan for your project house99, as shown in Fig.1.5.3.2. (In this step you will not set dimensions and text).
You could draw the outline (abcdefgha) line by line, but that is not too efficient. The best approach is to draw a polyline of given dimension , as shown in Fig.1.5.3.2. This polyline is the outline of the floor plan you design.

Now you have to do some work on the layers. Create a new layer, with Name: A-House-Outline, Color: red, and make it current. To do this:

• Click Home tab ►Layers panel ►click Layer Properties icon ►right-click ►New Layer ►for the Name type A-House-Outline , for Color select red, make it Current,and press ENTER. (Fig 1.5.3.1).

After that the Layer Properties will be as shown in Fig.1.5.3.1.

To draw the polyline (abcdefgha), as shown in Fig. 1.5.3.3 :

• Click Home tab > Draw panel > click Polyline (Fig 1.5.3.2)

• Specify on the screen the first point (a) of the polyline.
  • To do this pick a point on the screen similar to point a, as shown in fig.1.5.3.3, or for more accuracy, at the Command prompt (Fig.1.5.7): PLINE Specify start point : type 5.00,5.00 to insert the coordinates of the point a, and define the first point a of the polyline.
• Specify the point(b), that is the endpoint of the first straight line segment (ab) ,
  • to do this on the Command prompt: Specify next point: type @6.600<0  and press ENTER, where 6.600 m is the distance (ab) and 0⁰ is the horizontal angle of the line (ab), to define the second point (b) of the polyline.
• Specify the endpoint  (c) of the second straight line (bc),
  • to do this on the Command prompt: Specify next point or: type @4.000<-90 , where 4.000 m is the distance (bc) and -90⁰ is the horizontal angle of the line (bc) , to define the third point (c) of the polyline.
• Specify the endpoint (d) of the third straight line (cd),
  • to do this on the Command prompt: Specify next point or: type @4.200<0 , where 4.200 m is the distance (ef) and 0⁰ is the horizontal angle of the line (cd), to define the fourth point (d) of the polyline.
• Specify the endpoint (e) of the fourth straight line (de),
  • to do this on the Command prompt: Specify next point or: type @4.000<90 , where 4.000 m is the distance (de) and 90⁰ is the horizontal angle of the line (de), to define the fifth point (e) of the polyline (see fig.1.1).
• Specify the endpoint (f) of the fifth straight line (ef),
  • to do this on the Command prompt: Specify next point or: type @1.900<0 , where 1.900 m is the distance (ef) and 0⁰ is the horizontal angle of the line (ef), to define the sixfth point (f) of the polyline (see fig.1.1).
• Specify the endpoint (g) of the fifth straight line (fg),
  • to do this on the Command prompt: Specify next point or: type @6.500<0 , where 6.500 m is the distance (ha) and 90⁰ is the horizontal angle of the line (fg), to define the sixfth point (g) of the polyline (see fig.1.1).
• Specify the endpoint (h) of the fifth straight line (gh),
  • to do this on the Command prompt: Specify next point or: type @12.700<0 , where 12.700 m is the distance (ab) and 0⁰ is the horizontal angle of the line (gh), to define the sixfth point (h) of the polyline (see fig.1.1).
• Close the polyline, drawing the lastsegment (ha),
  • to do this on the Command prompt: Specify next point or: type C , to close the polyline (see fig.1.5.3.4). The segment (bc), will be drawn to complete of the polyline (abcdefgh) as shown in Fig.1.5.3.3 (without dimensions).

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 1.5.4 Drawing the Exterior Walls

After you have drawn the outline (abcdefgha) of the Floor Plan, the drawing of the Exterior walls will be the second step. The wall is consisted of two lines, each one defines one side of the wall.

As you can see in the Floor Plan, the thickness of the exterior wall is 0.300 m, and the thickness of the interior wall is 0.15 m.
You will use the House Outline - polyline(abcdefgha), you just have drawn (Fig.1.5.3.3), as the outside of the exterior walls, and you will offset it, inside this polyline, in a distance of 0.30 m to create the second line of the wall.

OFFSET polyline (abcdefgha) to the inside, to create the exterior walls as shown in Fig. 1.5.4.1. To do this :

• On Ribbon, click Home tab ►Modify panel ►click Offset icon , or type Offset and press ENTER. (Fig 1.5.5)

• on the Command prompt: Offset Specify offset distance or: type 0.300  and press ENTER, where 0.300 m is the offset distance.
• on the Command prompt: Offset Select object for offset : select polyline (abcdefgha)  and press ENTER.
• on the Command prompt: Offset Specify point on side to : select any point inside the polyline (abcdefgha)  and press ENTER.

The result is shown in Fig.1.5.4.1 (without dimensions).

Now you have to do some work on the layers. Create a new layer, with the Name: A-Exterior Wall, Color: Magenda. To do this:

• Click Home tab ►Layers panel ►click Layer Properties icon ►right-click ►New Layer ►for the Name type A-Exterior-Wall , for Color select mangenta and press ENTER. (Fig 1.5.5).

After that the the Layer Properties of your drawing, will be as shown in Fig.1.5.4.2.

Select the inside polyline (1) with with layer name 'A-House-Outline', and rename it to 'A-Exterior-Wall', it's color will change to magenda. Turn-off the layer 'A-House-Outline', the polyline (2) will disappear, then offset the polyline (1) to the outside direction at a distance 0.30. The result is shown in Fig.1.5.4.3, you have to polylines with color magenda and layer name 'A-Exterior-Wall.

 

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 1.5.5 - Create the interior walls

The arrangement of exterior and interior walls of the floor plan is like the one you see in (Fig. 1.5.5.1).
You will follow the dimensions that you see in this sketch, to design the interior walls of the floor plan, using for your help axis.

You will start drawing the walls (AB), (BD) and (EF).

Now you have to do some work on the layers. Create two new layers, one with the Name: A-Axis, Color: Cyan, and Linetype DASHDOT, and make it Current, and another with Name: A-Interior-Wall, Color: Green, and Linetype Continuouss.

. To do this:

• Click Home tab ►Layers panel ►click Layer Properties icon ►select icon New Layer ►for the Name type A-Axis , for Color select Cyan, for linetype select DASHDOT. set it Current and press ENTER. (Fig 1.5.5.2).
• Click Home tab ►Layers panel ►click Layer Properties icon ►select icon New Layer ►for the Name type A-Wall-Inter , for Color select Green, for linetype select Continuous and press ENTER. (Fig 1.5.5.2).

Draw the Axis through (ha) and (hg):

• Using the Line tool on ribbon, draw two Axis (line with layer A-Axis), one that passes along the line (ha) and one on the line (hg) (Fig.1.5.5.1). To do this:
• With the layer A-Axis set as current, click Home tab ► Draw panel ►select Line icon , and draw a dashdot line extended beyond points (h), (a) and (h), (g) as shown in Fig.1.5.5.1.
• Make Offset the Axis (ha), define as distance 4.300, (it is the sum of the individual distances 0.300 + 4.000 = 4.300, - it means 4 meters and 30 centimeters -, as you can notice on Fig.1.5.10), and select a point near the line (AB) to set the side to be executed offset.
• Make Offset the Construct line (hg), define as distance 3.650, (it is the sum of the individual distances 0.300 + 3.350 =3.650), and select a point near the line (BD) to set the side to be executed offset.
  

  Draw the lines (AB), (BD) and (EF):

• With the layer A-Wall-Inter set as current, click Home tab ► Draw panel ►select Line icon.
• With the Line tool selected, draw the line (AB) and (BD) in the direction from A to B, and from B to point D.
• At the command prompt : LINE Specify first point : select point A,
• At the command prompt : LINE Specify first point : select point B,
• At the command prompt : LINE Specify first point : select point D, and press ENTER.
  Lines (AB) and (BD) have been designed.
  With the Line tool selected, draw the line (EF) and (BD) and from E to point F :
• At the command prompt : LINE Specify first point : select point E,
• At the command prompt : LINE Specify first point : select point F, and press ENTER.
  Lines (EF) have been designed.

 

OFFSET lines (AB), (BD), and (EF) to create the interior walls as shown in Fig. 1.5.5.1. To do this :

• On Ribbon, click Home tab ►Modify panel ►click Offset icon , or type Offset and press ENTER.

• on the Command prompt: Offset Specify offset distance or: type 0.15  and press ENTER, where 0.15 m is the offset distance.
• on the Command prompt: Offset Select object for offset : select line (AB).
• on the Command prompt: Offset Specify point on side to : select any point at the right side of (AB).
• on the Command prompt: Offset Select object for offset : select line (BD).
• on the Command prompt: Offset Specify point on side to : select any point at the uper side of (BD).
• on the Command prompt: Offset Select object for offset : select line (EF).
• on the Command prompt: Offset Specify point on side to : select any point at the uper side of (EF) and press ENTER.

The result is shown in Fig.1.5.5.3 (without text).

Fillet lines (AB) and (BD), to do this:

• On Ribbon, click Home tab ►Modify panel ►click Fillet icon , or type Fillet and press ENTER.
• Select the offset of line (AB), and then the offset line of (BD), the result is as shown in Fig.1.5.5.4.

 

Now you will draw the walls (HC), (IJ) and (FG), as shown in Fif.1.5.5.1.

Draw the Axis through (HC), (IJ) and (FG):

• Using the Line tool on ribbon, you will draw two Axis (line with layer A-Axis), one that passes along the line (HC), one on the line (IJ) and one on the line (FG), as shown in Fig.1.5.5.1. To do this:
• To draw axis (HC), make Offset the existing Axis (AB), define as distance 3.750, (it is the sum of the individual distances 0.150 + 3.600 = 3.750, - it means 3 meters and 75 centimeters -, as you can notice on Fig.1.5.5.1), and select a point near the line (HC) to set the side to be executed offset.
• To draw axis (IJ), make Offset the existing Axis (AB), define as distance 1.350, (it is the distance between walls (AB) and (IJ), and select a point near the line (IJ) to set the side to be executed offset.
• To draw axis (FG), make Offset the existing Axis (AB), define as distance 6.200, (it is the sum of the individual distances 1.350 + 0.150 + 4.700 = 6.200, - it means 6 meters and 20 centimeters -, as you can notice on Fig.1.5.5.1), and select a point near the line (IJ) to set the side to be executed offset.
  

  Draw the lines (HC), (IJ) and (FG):

• With the layer A-Wall-Inter set as current, click Home tab ► Draw panel ►select Line icon.
• With the Line tool selected, draw the line (HC), (IJ), and (BD) as shown in Fig.1.5.5.1).
• At the command prompt : LINE Specify first point : select point C,
• At the command prompt : LINE Specify first point : select point H, and press ENTER.
• At the command prompt : LINE Specify first point : select point I,
• At the command prompt : LINE Specify first point : select point J, and press ENTER.
• At the command prompt : LINE Specify first point : select point F,
• At the command prompt : LINE Specify first point : select point G, and press ENTER.
  The lines (CH), (IJ), and (FG) have been designed (Fig.1.5.5.6).

 

OFFSET lines (HC), (IJ), and (FG) to create the interior walls as shown in Fig. 1.5.5.1. To do this :

• On Ribbon, click Home tab ►Modify panel ►click Offset icon , or type Offset and press ENTER.

• on the Command prompt: Offset Specify offset distance or: type 0.15  and press ENTER, where 0.15 m is the offset distance.
• on the Command prompt: Offset Select object for offset : select line (HC).
• on the Command prompt: Offset Specify point on side to : select any point at the right side of (HC).
• on the Command prompt: Offset Select object for offset : select line (IJ).
• on the Command prompt: Offset Specify point on side to : select any point at the uper side of (IJ).
• on the Command prompt: Offset Select object for offset : select line (FG).
• on the Command prompt: Offset Specify point on side to : select any point at the uper side of (FG) and press ENTER.

The result is as shown in Fig.1.5.5.7 (without text).

Save this drawing file under the name house99_walls_155, in the folder step1 you have created. The full path of the folder is: ../myProject/house99/step1/house99_walls_155.dwg

 

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1.5.6 Create the Openings

In this chapter you will create the openings on the walls of your project house99, as shown in Fig.1.5.6, where in the next step you will place doors and windows.

1.- Create the openings of the doors

Create the openings fορ the doors D1, D2, D3, D4 D5 and D6 as shown in Fig.1.5.6.1.

To do this :

Open in AutoCAD the drawing file house99_walls155.dwg (that you created in lesson 1.5.5) as shown in Fig.1.5.6.2.

Define the one side of the doors using the Axis.

• Make Offset the Axis line (AB), define as distance 0.35, and select a point to the right-side of the line (AB) to set the side to be executed offset, and press ENTER.
• Make Offset the Axix line (HC), define as distance 0.85, and select a point to the right-side of the line (HC) to set the side to be executed offset, and press ENTER.
• Make Offset the Axis line (BD), define as distance 0.10, and select a point downward of the line (BD, to set the side to be executed offset, and press ENTER.
• Make Offset the Axis line (GF), define as distance 0.10, and select a point to the left-side of the line (GF) to set the side to be executed offset, and press ENTER.
• Make Offset the Axis line (JI), define as distance 0.30, and select a point to the left-side of the line (JI) to set the side to be executed offset, and press ENTER.

Draw the line (1, 2) that is the left side of door (D1) as shown in Fig.1.5.6.3. To do this:

• On Ribbon ► on layer settings tab, click the arrow icon  to open the drop-down layer menu, and set the layer A-Wall-Inter as Current. 
  
• Click Home tab ►Draw panel ►select Line icon .
• At the command prompt : Start point or [ ] : select point (1),
• At the command prompt : End point or [ ] : select point (2), and press ENTER. Line (1, 2) has been designed.

Draw the line (3, 4) that is the right side of door (D1) as shown in Fig.1.5.6.3.
To do this:

• Click Home tab ►Modify panel ►select the  Offset icon  
• Make Offset the line (1, 2), define as distance 0.90 (it is the width of the door opening), and select a point to the right-side of the line (1, 2) to set the side to be executed offset, and press ENTER.
  
  Now you are going to trim the lines (1, 3) and (2, 4), using as cutting edge the lines (1, 2) and (3, 4).
• Click Home tab ►Draw panel ►select the Trim icon
• CommandLine prompt says: TRIM Select object or <select all>: Using the mouse select line (1, 2) and (2, 4) as Cutting edge, and press ENTER.
• CommandLine prompt says: Select object to trim or shift-select to extend or : Select lines (1, 3) and (2, 4), it is the lines that you want to trim, and press ENTER.
• Remember two things to avoid mistakes: Pick the cutting edge first, and do not forget to press Enter before picking the line to be chopped.

With similar process, using Line, Offset and the Trim tools, create the openings for the doors D2, D3, D4, D5 and D6, according the position and dimensions shown in Fig.5.6.1.

Notice that you have to change the layer to 'A-Wall-Exter' on the lines on both sides of door D6, they are on exterior wall and the color is 'magenta'.

The result is as shown in Fig.5.6.4, (without text and dimensions)..

 

Save this drawing file under the name house99_openingsDoors_156, in the folder step1 you have created. The full path of the folder is: ../myProjects/house99/step1/house99_openingsDoors_156.dwg

2.- Create the openings for windows

Create the openings for the windows W1, W2, W3, W4, W5, W6, W7 and W8, as shown in Fig.1.5.6.5. To do this :

Define the sides of the windows W1, W2, W3, using the Axis (ha) and the Offset tool.

• Make Offset the Axis line (ha), define as distance 1.800, and select a point to the right-side of the line (ha) to set the side to be executed offset, and press ENTER.
• Make Offset the Axix line (ha), define as distance 3.600 (it is the sum of the individual distances 1.800 + 1.800 = 3.600, - it means 3 meters and 60 centimeters -, as you can notice on Fig.1.5.6.0), and select a point to the right-side of the line (ha) to set the side to be executed offset, and press ENTER.
• Make Offset the Axis line (ha), define as distance 5.550, (it is the sum of the individual distances 3.600 + 1.950 = 5.550), and select a point to the right-side of the line (ha), to set the side to be executed offset, and press ENTER.
• Make Offset the Axis line (ha), define as distance 6.950, (it is the sum of the individual distances 5.550 + 1.400 = 6.950), and select a point to the right-side of the line (ha), to set the side to be executed offset, and press ENTER. You defined thr right side of window W2.
• Make Offset the Axis line (ha), define as distance 9.700, (it is the sum of the individual distances 6.950 + 2.750 = 9.700), and select a point to the right-side of the line (ha), to set the side to be executed offset, and press ENTER. You defined thr left side of window W3.
• Make Offset the Axis line (ha), define as distance 11.700, (it is the sum of the individual distances 9.700 + 1.400 = 11.700), and select a point to the right-side of the line (ha), to set the side to be executed offset, and press ENTER. You defined the right side of window W3.

Draw the line (1, 2) that is the left side of door (D1) as shown in Fig.1.5.6.1. To do this:

• Set the layer A-Wall-Exter as Current.
• Click Home tab ►Draw panel ►select Line icon .
• At the command prompt : Start point or [ ] : select point (1),
• At the command prompt : End point or [ ] : select point (2), and press ENTER. Line (1, 2) has been designed.
• Line (1, 2) has been drawn.

Now create the line (3, 4) that is the right side of door (D1), as shown in Fig.1.5.6.1, using Offset tool.
To do this:

• Click Home tab ►Modify panel ►select the  Offset icon  
• Make Offset the line (1, 2), define as distance 0.90 (it is the width of the door opening), and select a point to the right-side of the line (1, 2) to set the side to be executed offset, and press ENTER.
  
  Now you are going to trim the lines (1, 3) and (2, 4), using as cutting edge the lines (1, 2) and (3, 4).

• Click Home tab ►Draw panel ►select Trim
• CommandLine prompt says:TRIM Select object or <select all>: Using the mouse select line (1, 2) and (2, 4) as Cutting edge, and press ENTER.
• CommandLine prompt says:Select object to trim or shift-select to extend or : Select lines (1, 3) and (2, 4), it is the lines that you want to trim, and press ENTER.
• Remember two things to avoid mistakes: Pick the cutting edge first, and do not forget to press Enter before picking the line to be chopped.

With similar process, using Line, Offset and the Trim tools, create the openings for the doors W2, W3, W4, W5, W6, W7 and W8, according the position and dimensions shown in Fig.1.5.6.5.

The result is as shown in Fig.1.5.6.7, without the notes. In next step you will add dimensions and text within your drawing.

Save this drawing file under the name house99_openings_156, in the folder step1 you have created. The full path of the folder is: ../myProject/house99/step1/house99_openings_156.dwg