how to see a drawing in 3d on autocad

Basic 3D and Surface Modelling

Introduction

Although AutoCAD has a number of commands for creating special 3D objects, a lot tin can be achieved by changing the properties of bones second objects like polylines. Most 2nd objects can be given a thickness using the thickness choice in the Properties (DDCHPROP) control. Although objects with a thickness tin be said to exist extruded, this should not be confused with the EXTRUDE command which creates solid extrusions; giving an object thickness produces a surface extrusion. All objects can be given an pinnacle past moving them in the Z management using the Movement command. With a combination of the MOVE and Backdrop commands you tin quickly create unproblematic 3D drawings.

Using this tutorial you will learn how to give objects a thickness, how to move them vertically, how to view your 3D creations and how to use the 3DFACE and SHADE commands.

The DDVPOINT Command

You can utilise this command to get an axonometric view of your drawing.

There are a number of ways to become an axonometric view of your AutoCAD drawing but the DDVPOINT command is probably the easiest and quickest to use. It is, yet, buried two layers deep in the pull-down menu so it's often quicker simply to type it at the keyboard, since at that place is no toolbar button. As you probably recognise from the command name it is a dialogue box driven control. The Viewpoint Presets dialogue box is illustrated on the correct. As you can see, you ascertain a view past specifying two angles. The showtime angle is the rotation from the 10 axis (the horizontal bending). The second is the bending from the XY plane (the vertical angle). Using the dialogue box you can specify an angle either by picking on the two dials or by entering an bending into each of the two angle edit boxes. You tin even expect at your drawing from underneath by specifying a negative vertical angle. For about purposes a horizontal angle forth one of the diagonals, 45, 135, 225 and 315 and a vertical angle of 30 requite the all-time results.

You can render to a plan view of your cartoon by using the PLAN command. To do this, only enter "Plan" at the command prompt and then to have the "Current UCS" default. You can also return to whatsoever previous view by using the Zoom Previous command option, Z P at the keyboard or from the Standard toolbar.

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The Properties Command

You tin can use the DDCHPROP command to change the colour, layer, linetype, linetype scale and thickness of any unmarried or multiple object choice. The DDMODIFY command gives all of these change options in improver to those which are specific to the object type. DDMODIFY is e'er used past AutoCAD as a default for single object selections when the Properties control is selected from the toolbar or from the pull-down card.

Command Sequence

Control: DDCHPROP
Select objects: (pick one or more than objects)
Select objects:
When you have selected the objects, the Change Properties dialogue box appears. To change the thickness, simply enter a value (in drawing units) in the Thickness edit box. When you click the "OK" push your objects will be extruded by the amount specified.

The analogy (right) shows the outcome of applying a thickness to a circle. A circumvolve with no thickness is shown on the left and a circle with thickness on the correct.

Effectively a circle with thickness becomes a cylinder. You can tell by the orientation of the UCS icon in this illustration that this is an axonometric view (see "The DDVPOINT Command" above for details).

Moving in the Z Management

By now you should be quite used to using the Move command but up until now yous've simply been moving 2D objects in the XY Aeroplane. Movement can just every bit easily be used to motility a drawing object vertically, perpendicular to the XY Plane. Y'all can do this by using XY and Z co-ordinates or by picking points in 3D space.

In the analogy on the left a circumvolve has been moved from the base plane of a cube to the acme face up of a cube. This is done by using the MOVE command ( from the pull-down or from the Change toolbar). Just start the Motion command, select the circle, pick one of the lower corners of the cube as the base point (utilise the end indicate Osnap!) and then option the corresponding top corner as the second point, again using the finish point Osnap. If you look at the circle in programme at that place appears to be no deviation in information technology'southward position because information technology has not been moved in the XY aeroplane but perpendicular to it. You can employ the same principle to move any drawing entity. Bear in heed that you must always employ an Osnap when you are picking points in 3D space. If y'all exercise non, the picked point will always exist on the base of operations plane, which doesn't make any sense. One of the problems with this is that you may not realise your mistake until y'all change your view position considering in the electric current view the objects will announced to have been moved normally. Information technology'southward a good thought to keep switching your view indicate as a cheque.

In the above example the movement was fairly piece of cake considering we had a cube to utilize as a guide. Very often y'all volition need to motion an object vertically without whatsoever guide. In such a case you should employ co-ordinates. For example, if the cube in the analogy above was xl drawing units loftier then I could move the circle using the following command sequence.

Command Sequence

Command: Move
Select objects: (select the circle)
Select objects:
Base indicate or displacement: 0,0,0
Second point of displacement: 0,0,40

Notice that I utilize the UCS origin point as a base point, that's because it's standard practice but in principle information technology could be any point in space. The most important matter is that the 10 and Y co-ordinates remain the same (considering we exercise not want to move in the XY Plane) and the Z co-ordinate must increase past the distance you want to motility up. Using co-ordinate 25,43,xvi as the base point and 25,43,56 as the 2nd bespeak would have resulted in exactly the same move. To movement downwards you lot but need to specify a negative Z co-ordinate. For example to move the circle down by 40 units the second indicate according would be 0,0,-twoscore.

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The 3D Face Command

The 3D Confront control is used to draw 3D surfaces with 3 or 4 edges.

Command Sequence

Control: 3DFACE
First Point: (pick point)
Second Point: (pick indicate)
Third Point: (pick betoken)
Quaternary Point: (pick point or for merely iii edges)
Third Point: (start another 3D Confront or to terminate)

Why do I need a 3D Face?

The reason is that when y'all give an entity like a rectangle a thickness it is given solid sides in the management of the extrusion only information technology is left open ended like a tube. To add a top and a bottom to a box y'all must use 3D Faces. In the analogy on the right, two boxes have been shaded using the Shade control, SHADE from the keyboard, from the pull-down or from the Return toolbar. See SHADE for a description of the Shade command options. The box on the right is a rectangle which has been given a thickness. As yous can see, it does non accept a pinnacle. A 3D Face has been added to the top of the box on the left which gives the effect of a solid surface when shaded.

When you use the Shade command, don't forget to utilize the Regen command to go back to the wireline cartoon. AutoCAD does non allow you to pick points on a shaded cartoon.

For complicated shapes you may need to utilise a number of 3D Faces to fill a surface. Fortunately, extruded circles are automatically given a solid top and bottom and so you don't need whatsoever 3D Faces. If you exercise need to apply a complex of faces to fill a surface there is a way to hide the bring together lines between faces. If you type "I" and before the kickoff pick point of any edge, that edge volition be made invisible. If you lot are conscientious you can easily fill a complicated surface with many 3D Faces which will merely appear as a single continuous surface. If you need to create a very complex surface it may be better to use the EXTRUDE command which creates solid extrusions i.east. they already have top and lesser surfaces.

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An Exercise

The exercise below is designed and so that you can practice all of the new commands and techniques outlined to a higher place. It is a simple tabular array which is composed of 9 main elements, four legs, 4 runway, and a top. These elements are all constructed using the Rectangle control, RECTANG from the keyboard or from the pull-downwardly menu. Remember, there is nothing special virtually rectangles, they are just 4 sided closed polylines, so if you prefer using the PLINE control, then experience complimentary.

These rectangles volition be given a thickness using the Properties control and an elevation using the Movement command. Some 3D Faces are used for the finishing touches using the 3DFACE command.

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Cartoon the Table

Pace ane

First of all depict the table program using the dimensions on the illustration and inset detail beneath. All dimensions are in millimetres. The programme is equanimous of nine rectangles. You may demand to utilise other commands like Line and First to construct the rectangles. Alternatively yous tin work out the rectangle co-ordinates and construct them manually. Recall to use the Copy and/or Mirror commands to duplicate identical objects. For instance, it'due south really but necessary to draw one leg since they are all the same.

Footstep ii

Next, using the Properties control, select the four tabular array legs and give them a thickness of 700. Using the Properties command a 2d time, select the iv table rails and requite them a thickness of 100. Motility the track vertically through 600 with the Move command using a co-ordinate value of 0,0,0 for the base point and 0,0,600 for the second point. Finally employ the Properties command a tertiary time to give the table acme a thickness of 40 and use Motion again to requite the acme an height of 700. Now look at what you have created using the DDVPOINT command, from the pull-down or DDVPOINT at the keyboard. Use the SHADE command to run into the solid event, from the pull-downwardly or SHADE at the keyboard.

Stride 3

Every bit you will have noticed, your tabular array does not however have a solid top. You can accomplish this using 3D Face. You can start the 3D Confront command from the pull-down, , from the Render toolbar, or from the keyboard, 3DFACE. 3D Faces are defined by picking the 4 points of a rectangle in either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction. First the 3D Face control and using the endpoint Osnap, select the four upper corners of the table top. Utilize the Shade control once again to come across the effect. Yous tin utilise more 3D Faces to complete the model. By looking at the table from various angles you lot will discover that the underside of the rails, the underside of the legs and the underside of the table peak all demand 3D Faces in social club to create a completely solid model.

Now that you have completed your model, experiment with the Shade command and the various shade border settings (run across "Tips and Tricks" beneath).

Step 4

To finish your drawing, set tilemode to 0, create an A3 drawing sheet and insert some tiled viewports, see thePaper Space exercise for details. Your drawing should terminate upward looking something like the ane below. The vase was created using the REVSURF command, meet REVSURF for details.

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3D Objects

In addition to the elementary 3D objects you can create by giving objects thickness and adding 3D Faces, AutoCAD provides a number of ready made 3D objects. These objects can be called from the 3D Objects dialogue box. Equally you can come across from the illustration of the dialogue box beneath, you can create very simple objects similar a box and complex ones like the torus.

You must invoke the 3D objects dialogue box from the pull-downwards carte du jour, as there is no keyboard equivalent. Alternatively you can select individual 3D Object commands from the Surfaces toolbar. Each 3D Object requires dissimilar input from the user but the control line is quite explicit so you shouldn't have any problems.

One of the most useful objects is the Sphere. In the analogy on the right a 3D tree has been created using a circumvolve with thickness as the trunk and a sphere as the canopy. I thing to behave in heed when creating spheres is that the centre of the sphere will be on the ground plane. Therefore, half of the sphere is below ground level and half above. If you lot want the sphere to sit on the ground plane, all you have to do is move it up through a distance which is the aforementioned every bit information technology's radius.

Another consideration when creating spheres and some of the other shapes is the number of segments to apply. It is very tempting to use a lot and create a smoothen shape just this does accept lots of drawing memory then become carefully. The default value (xvi) is usually acceptable for most purposes.

Command Sequence

Invoke the dialogue box from the pull-down (), pick the sphere icon then the "OK" push or pick from the Surfaces toolbar.

Center of sphere: (pick point)
Diameter/<radius>: (pick point or enter value)
Number of longitudinal segments<16>: (enter number or)
Number of latitudinal segments<16>: (enter number or)
Your Sphere is drawn.

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Tips & Tricks

• If you would like to try creating the vase as shown in the table drawing. Y'all will need to know a little fleck virtually UCS, User Co-ordinate Systems (meet UCS) and how the Revolved Surface command works (run across the 3D Tree practice for details).
• Y'all can change the shaded event that the Shade command gives to your drawing using the SHADEDGE variable. To change the shade edge variable just enter SHADEDGE at the keyboard and enter a value between 0 and 3.
  SHADEDGE = 0 gives a shaded colour surface with no lines.
  SHADEDGE = one gives a shaded color surface with lines. This tends to give the best overall results.
  SHADEDGE = 2 gives a groundwork colour surface which gives a similar consequence to the Hide command.
  SHADEDGE = iii gives a block color surface, this is the AutoCAD default. See SHADE for a fuller description of the SHADEDGE variable.
• Always use Osnaps when picking in 3D.
• Use the Shade command regularly to keep runway of your drawing. In wireline information technology's impossible to tell if a surface has a 3D Face or not, then yous'll need to use Shade to check.
• Yous tin can strength invisible 3D Confront edges to display in wireline using the SPLFRAME variable. If SPLFRAME = 0 all invisible edges remain hidden. If it is ready to 1 invisible edges volition be displayed. This tin be extremely useful because information technology is impossible to select a 3D Face up which has no visible edges. The only way to select such a 3D Face is to gear up SPLFRAME to 1 get-go.

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