AutoCAD 2007

Why AutoCAD?
AutoCAD has been around a long time -- since 1982. AutoCAD ushered in the
transition from really expensive mainframe and minicomputer CAD systems
costing tens of thousands of dollars to merely expensive microcomputer CAD
programs costing a few thousand dollars.
AutoCAD is, first and foremost, a program to create technical drawings: draw-
ings in which measurements and precision are important because these kinds
of drawings often get used to build something. The drawings you create with
AutoCAD must adhere to standards established long ago for hand-drafted
drawings. The up-front investment to use AutoCAD is certainly more expen-
sive than the investment needed to use pencil and paper, and the learning
curve is much steeper, too. Why bother? The key reasons for using AutoCAD
rather than pencil and paper are
Precision: Creating lines, circles, and other shapes of the exactly correct
dimensions is easier with AutoCAD than with pencils.
Modifiability: Drawings are much easier to modify on the computer
screen than on paper. CAD modifications are a lot cleaner, too.
Efficiency: Creating many kinds of drawings is faster with a CAD
program -- especially drawings that involve repetition, such as floor
plans in a multistory building. But that efficiency takes skill and prac-
tice. If you're an accomplished pencil-and-paper drafter, don't expect
CAD to be faster at first!
Figure 1-1 shows several kinds of drawings in AutoCAD 2007.
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Part I: AutoCAD 101