1. CAG – (Auto)CAD Commands
Graphic Communications
Knowledge & Interpretation

2. Ortho/Isometric grid
Displays an on-screen grid of any given spacing. Makes orthographic and isometric drawing accurate and easier.
Orthographic grid
Isometric Grids
Ortho – restricts cursor to horizontal and vertical movement only. This makes orthographic projection easier.

3. Grid snap/grid lock
Locates the start and end points of lines on preset snap spacing. Improves accuracy

4. Library
Stores common drawing parts (icons) that can be added to drawings as often as required. Saves time and effort.

5. Layers
A drawing can be built up in several layers (like clear film overlays) which are switched on and off to make it easier to work on and understand

6. Zoom
Zooming in allows you to see smaller parts of a drawing in greater detail.
Zooming out allows you to see the whole of a larger drawing or can be used after you have zoomed in.

7. Line types
You can draw the different line types needed for your drawing simply by selecting the line and selecting a line type for it.
By clicking on line type a menu of available lines appears. You simply select the type you require.

8. Auto-dimensioning
The computer calculates how long a line is or the diameter of a circle or the radius of a curve and automatically places this size on the dimension line.

9. Box/circle/arc
Draws squares, rectangles, circles and arcs quickly and accurate

10. Copy
Copies positions and objects without having to redraw them each time

11. Ring and Box arrays
This allows shapes to be repeated in a predetermined order.
The user chooses how many shapes are to be repeated along the x-axis and the y-axis.
A box type shape is formed with the repeated parts hence the name box array.
Ring Array
Box Array

12. Fillet and Chamfer
Fillet - This is when the user adds a curve to a corner.
Chamfer - This is when the user adds a 45° line to a corner.

13. Tangent
This command allows the user to draw a line at a tangent to a circle.
This makes this type of line very easy and quick to produce.
An example of lines of tangency drawn between 2 circles.

14. Break, trim and extend Break Trim Extend
Removes a section from the middle of a line; trims the end off a line; makes a line longer
Break
Trim
Extend

15. Rotate
This allows the user to turn an object around any angle based on a centre point of rotation.
This box has been rotated by 45° with its rotation basepoint the centre of the rectangle.

16. Scale
0.5
0.5
This command allows the user to say how much bigger or smaller they want to make a drawing they have done.
This makes scaled drawings much quicker and easier to do as a number of different scales can be produced using the 1 drawing.

17. Mirror
This command gives you a mirror image of the shape you have drawn.
The user has to set where the mirror would be placed then the image is created.
The purple shape has been mirrored vertically along the left hand side.