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This tutorial has been prepared for students studying:

ARCH7221 Computer Modelling and Rendering, and
ARCH5222 Computer Applications 1,

at the School of Architecture, University of New South Wales, Australia.
Introduction
  This tutorial will show you how the objects used in tutorial 3 are created. It should take between 40 and 60 minutes to complete.

Start AutoCAD, display the Solids toobar (if necessary), split the screen into two vertical viewports (select: View - Tiled Viewports - 2 Viewports, and then press 'Enter' to accept a vertical split line).
Drawing Limits and Units
Select Data - Drawing Limits, AutoCAD will prompt for the "lower-left corner" press Enter to accept the default (0,0), then type 5000,5000 for the "top-right corner". Select Data - Units and set Precision to "0". Finally, select Zoom All.
Create the Drawing Layers
Select Data - Layers, type "chair" in the text input field, select New, then select CHAIR in the layer name window, select Current, select Set Color... and choose a (bright) colour, select OK (to dismiss the colour dialog). Then create TABLE, VASE and BAR layers.
Create a simple chair frame
Firstly, we'll create a chair leg. Select (corner)box, pick a position anywhere on the screen, type @25,25,400. This box will appear as a dot, zoom in on the chair leg until is appears as a rectangle. Make one of the viewports a "Front View".
Select Copy, pick the chair leg, press Enter, pick near the chair leg, and type @400,0 we've now got a first "back" leg. Select copy again, pick the new chair leg, press Enter, using ENDpoint snap, pick the leg again, then type @0,0,400. Now the "new" leg should be 800 high (though it's made up of 2 boxes)

Select (corner) box, pick the top-right of the left chair leg, using the ENDpoint snap, type @375,25,-25. Select copy, draw a window around the whole chair frame, press Enter, pick a point near the chair, type @0,400,0. Now we've got the two side frames.
Change the "front view" into a "3D view" - look at the chair from the "south-west", zoom in on the chair frame. Select (corner) box, using ENDpoint snap, pick the inside top corner of the chair leg, using ENDpoint snap, pick the other end (see figure).
Select copy, pick the front corssbar just created, press Enter, type m (for multiple), pick near the frame (base point), then type @0,0,-200, then type @400,0,0, then type @400,0,400, then type @400,0,200, @400,0,-200, then press Enter. That completes the timber frame for the chair.
Make the chair seat
Select (corner) box, Use ENDpoint snap to select the top of the near chair leg (this should be the leg that's in the bottom-left of the plan view), type @400,425,25.

Press Enter to re-start box, pick the bottom end of the cross-bar 200m above the seat (using the ENDpoint snap), type @-25,425,225. Note that on the plan view this seat back projects beyond the chair frame...

Click on the seat back just created, click (in the plan view) on the top-right grip point (the small blue rectangle), note (in the 3D view) which grip point turns red..., then type @0,-25,0.

That completes our (very) boxy chair, now we'll save it using "write block"...
Create chair block (and write the block to disk)
Select block, type chair, then (for the insertion point) pick the bottom-left chair leg - in the plan view - using the ENDpoint snap mode, then draw a selection rectangle around the chair, and press Enter. the chair should disappear.

Type wblock, select your drive (s:) and path, replace "UNNAMED" with "chair", type chair for the "block name". This saves the block in a separate drawing.
Create a simple table


Select Data - Layers, select layer TABLE, select Current, select OK to dismiss the dialog box. Select (corner)box, pick a position anywhere on the screen, type @50,50,715, to make the first table leg. Select Copy, pick the box, press Enter, type m (for multiple), using the ENDpoint snap mode pick the bottom-left of the table leg, then type @1850,0,0, type @0,850,0, type @1850,850,0, and press Enter.

Select (corner)box, type @-50,-50,715, then type @2000,1000,35. That completes our (very) boxy table, now we'll save it using "write block"...

Select block, type table, using the ENDpoint snap mode pick the bottom-left table leg - in the plan view, then draw a selection rectangle around the table, press Enter. The tableshould disappear.

Type wblock, select your drive (s:) and path, replace "UNNAMED" with "table", type table for the "block name". This saves the block in a separate drawing.
Create a large vase
We'll create the vase by drawing a section through the vase and then revolving that section through 360 degrees. The vase is approximately 1500
Select Data - Layers, select layer VASE, select Current, select OK to dismiss the dialog box.
Select pline, pick a position anywhere on the screen, type the following sequence (press Enter between each word or coordinate pair) @150,0 @0,-30 @50,0 @0,50 arc second @150,150 @-100,1500 @0,50 @-50,25 line @0,-84 arc second @53,-50 @-92,-1571 line (double-click on "ORTHO" on the bottom of the autocad screen), type .x, then using the ENDpoint snapmode pick the poltline's starting point, pick a point about 40mm above the starting point, type close (see figure 3a-2).
Select revolve, pick the polyline, press Enter, using the ENDpoint snapmode pick the bottom-left of the vase (the starting point), then (using END again) pick the other end of the "vertical" line segment, press Enter. This turns the 2D shape into a 3D solid object by revolving the outline about the axis (centre-line).

"Stand" the vase up...
Select 3D rotate (from the modify toolbar), pick the vase, press Enter, then (using END) pick the base of the vase, for the "2nd point on axis" type @100,0,0, for the angle type 90. Select the 3D viewport (to make it "current"), and select render.
Change the plan view into a "front" view, and then use zoom dynamic to centre the vase in the view.
Select block, type vase, using the CENter snapmode pick the bottom of the vase, pick the vase, press Enter, the vase should disappear.
If the error message "Beware, Z insertion base is not zero" appeared then press "Esc" to cancel the block command, the vase must be moved so that the bottom is at Z=0. Select move, pick the vase, press Enter, using the CENter snapmode pick the bottom of the vase, type 0,0,0 to move the centre of the vase bottom to 0,0,0. If the vase disappeared from the viewport(s), then use zoom dynamic to get in back. Now "block" it again...
Type wblock, proceed as before (use the name VASE)!
Create a Drinks Bar
For this object we'll use the extrude command to convert a closed 2D polyline into a 3D solid.
Select Data - Layers, select layer BAR, select Current, select OK to dismiss the dialog box. I recommend that you have 2 viewsports: plan & 3D (if you don't already). If you don't have a plan view, then click in a viewport and then type plan.

Draw the object in the plan view . . .
Select polyline, pick a point towards the bottom of the screen, type the following sequence @0,500 arc sec @500,1250 @-500,1250 line @0,500 @-800,0 @0,-500 arc sec @500,-1250 @-500,-1250 line @0,-500 close.
To create the base, select offset, type 100, pick the object, pick inside the object, press Enter.
To extrude the pieces up, select extrude, pick the inner polyline, press Enter, type 200, press Enter (accept taper angle of 0). This creates the "kick board" at the bottom of the Bar.
To create the main body of the Bar, first raise the outline 200mm: select move, select the outer polyline, press Enter, pick anywhere, type @0,0,200.
Select copy, pick the outer polyline, press Enter, pick again, type @0,0,800. This creates the top section of the Bar - check the 3D view...
Now we need to move the top out of the way: pick the upper polyline in the 3D view (it should become dashed and have grips), select move, pick anywhere, type @2000,0 (2nd point of displacement). Then click in the plan view and REDRAW the view.
Decrease the width of the bar top to 400mm: select stretch, type c (for crossing), create a selection rectangle around the left of the polyline (see figure), pick anywhere, type @400,0.

Move the top back: pick the upper polyline in the 3D view (it should become dashed and have grips), select move, pick anywhere, type @-2000,0 (2nd point of displacement).

Select extrude, pick the bar top polyline, press Enter, type 200, press Enter (taper = 0). Select extrude again, pick the (left of the) outer polyline, press Enter, type 800, press Enter (taper = 0).

That completes the bar object. Make it a block and save the block (using wblock) as above. That completes the object creation exercise.

Investigate....!
FBE AutoCAD Page 3D Tutorial 4
Last Update : 13 October 2000
Major Revision : 29 October 1997
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