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Difference between revisions of "Starting to draw"

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(→‎Construction lines)
(→‎Construction lines)
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# Create a new [[Layers#Construction_Layers|Construction layer]]  with a name such as 'construction', and a colour of magenta or cyan or similar. The line's width should be '0'. [[File:Construtionlayerdialogexample.jpg]]
 
# Create a new [[Layers#Construction_Layers|Construction layer]]  with a name such as 'construction', and a colour of magenta or cyan or similar. The line's width should be '0'. [[File:Construtionlayerdialogexample.jpg]]
 
# Make sure ''[[Snapping|Snap]] on grid'' is enabled.
 
# Make sure ''[[Snapping|Snap]] on grid'' is enabled.
−
# Go to the ''[[lines]]'' toolbar, select ''horizontal lines'', and draw a line through 0,0 by clicking anywhere on the y-axis 0. This is the lower edge of the drawing.
+
 
−
# Switch to ''vertical lines'' and add a second line, perpendicular to the first, on the x-axis 0. This is the left-most edge of the drawing. Next we need to set out the top and right-most extent of the drawing. The distances we know from our sketch: 200 mm wide, and 100 mm high.
+
=== Drawing Box ===
−
# Switch to the ''Parallels with distance'' line type, and a 'distance' text-input box appears in the top toolbar. Enter '200' in this. Now when you hover anywhere just to the right of the vertical line, a very short indicator line will appear at the x-axis 200 mark; this shows you where the line will be placed. Click to place this line.
+
We'd like to create a 5000 x 1300 mm construction line drawing box in which our construction will be placed.
−
# Repeat a similar ''parallels'' process for the horizontal top line, 100 from the bottom one that's already done. Now you should have a 200 x 100 box.
+
# Hit space to enter the command line mode - the cursor will jump to the lower right corner and "Command" will be in blue
 +
# Type polyline or "pl" - you'll now asked for the points
 +
# Specify first point: 0.0
 +
# Specify next point: 5000,0
 +
# Specify next point or <nowiki>[undo]</nowiki>: 5000,1300
 +
# Specify next point or <nowiki>[close/undo]</nowiki>: 0,1300
 +
# Specify next point or <nowiki>[close/undo]</nowiki>: close
  
 
== Outlines ==
 
== Outlines ==

Revision as of 08:02, 6 November 2018

This page presents a simple sequence of creating a basic drawing, from a blank document to a printed design. It assumes that you have installed LibreCAD and have opened it to a new default blank drawing. It introduces quite a few LibreCAD concepts, and links to other pages that explain these.

Sketching

The first part of any design is a freehand sketch on paper. This is quick and simple and so allows for greatest freedom in the design process.

Example

We'd like to create a drawing of the following alumnium structure:

Librecadexample2018-11-06.png


CarportFreehand.jpg

Start a drawing

  1. Start LibreCAD
  2. First you might want to decide about your application preferences using Options/Application Preferences/Appearance
    1. For this example the background color has been changed to "white"
  3. Save the default "unnamed document 1" as "CarportEast" using the "File/Save" Menu
  4. Check that the save was successful by Quitting LibreCAD, and restarting it. The saved file "CarportEast.dxf" should show up in the "File/Recent Files" Menu
  5. Reopen the file and close the "unnamed document 1" by clicking the circled x in the tab.

Scaling

We'd like to have an A4 drawing on which a scaled version of the 5000 x 1300 mm construction fits.

A4 is 297 x 210 mm so if we make the 5000 mm be shown as a 250 mm long line we'd be set. That is a 1:20 scale.

Via the menu Options/Current Drawing Preferences/Dimensions we can se the General Scale to 20 to achieve the scaling.

Construction lines

The first lines of any technical drawing are the construction lines, setting out the locations of all lines without specifying any line types, colours, etc. All straight construction lines are of 'infinite' length — i.e. they extend off the screen in both directions.

  1. Create a new Construction layer with a name such as 'construction', and a colour of magenta or cyan or similar. The line's width should be '0'. Construtionlayerdialogexample.jpg
  2. Make sure Snap on grid is enabled.

Drawing Box

We'd like to create a 5000 x 1300 mm construction line drawing box in which our construction will be placed.

  1. Hit space to enter the command line mode - the cursor will jump to the lower right corner and "Command" will be in blue
  2. Type polyline or "pl" - you'll now asked for the points
  3. Specify first point: 0.0
  4. Specify next point: 5000,0
  5. Specify next point or [undo]: 5000,1300
  6. Specify next point or [close/undo]: 0,1300
  7. Specify next point or [close/undo]: close

Outlines

Once all the construction lines are drawn, add a new layer. This time not a help layer, and instead of 0-width lines, use 0.25 mm black ones.

Ensure that 'snap on intersection' Snapintersection.png is turned on.


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