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For decades, AutoCAD® students, instructors, and professionals have relied on the Exercise Workbook series to develop and hone their use of this versatile program. Whether you are new to the software, seeking to develop and improve your 2D drawing capabilities, or just want to make the most of the latest version of this program, the bestselling Beginning AutoCAD® 2026 Exercise Workbook is the ultimate reference. And for the first time, this superb resource is in full color, making it the ideal tool for visual learners.
With step-by-step instructions, inside tips, and tons of exercises, AutoCAD experts Shrock and Heather help users make real progress in both learning the basics and mastering the steps involved in creating professional-quality drawings. To quick-start working with drawing commands, users can download preset drawing templates from the provided link, or by visiting Industrial Press’s website product pages.
Improving on previous releases, AutoCAD 2026 facilitates efficient creation, precise revision, and sharing of layouts for a myriad of projects. For example, the new Activity Insights palette provides an overview of edits, enabling the creator or collaborators to see what has changed in a drawing. Plus, this edition includes an essential AutoCAD Quick Key Guide for quick access to the most frequently used AutoCAD features.
New and Improved Features in the Beginning AutoCAD 2026 Workbook
- Now in full color!—Users will find key topics, instructions,and steps—plus helpful notes, CADTips, and full-color screenshots displaying AutoCAD 2026 tools, commands, and menus—all clearly color-coded.
- Activity Insights—A new palette provides users with access to a What’s Changed summary of what has been done in each creation and edit session. Activity Insights can be filtered by time, users, and activities.
- AutoCAD Quick Key Guide—An invaluable bonus in this edition is a guide to function keys for AutoCAD help and text screens, dialog boxes, modes, and features, along with time-saving, one-key shortcuts for commands and drawing management, and other useful keyboard combinations.
- Global AutoCAD2026 Updates—New illustrations, detailed explanations, and step-by-step instructions throughout this Exercise Workbook reflect the latest AutoCAD tools, dialog boxes, and key elements.
Introduction
About this Workbook
About the Authors
Configuring Your System
Customizing Your Wheel Mouse
Lesson 1
Starting AutoCAD
AutoCAD Application Window
ToolTip Help
Autodesk Assistant
Lesson 2
Creating a Template
Using a Template
Selecting a Command
Drawing Lines
Methods for Selecting Objects
Erase
Undo and Redo
Starting a New Drawing
Opening an Existing Drawing File
Activity Insights Palette
Opening Multiple Files
Using Floating File Tabs
Saving a Drawing File
Automatic Save
Back Up Files and Recover
Exiting AutoCAD
Exercises for Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Circle
Rectangle
Grid and Increment Snap
Layers
Lineweights
Transparency
Creating New Layers
Loading and Selecting Layer Linetypes
Exercises for Lesson
Lesson 4
Object Snap
Running Object Snap
Zoom
Drawing Setup
Exercises for Lesson 4
Lesson 5
Polygon
Ellipse
Donut
Point
More Object Snaps
Exercises for Lesson 5
Lesson 6
Break
Trim
Extend
Move
Drag
Nudge
Explode
Exercises for Lesson 6
Lesson 7
Copy Multiple Copies
Copy “Array” Option
Mirror
Fillet
Chamfer
Exercises for Lesson 7
Lesson 8
Single Line Text
Multiline Text
Tabs, Indents, and Spell Check
Columns
Paragraph and Line Spacing
Editing Text
Exercises for Lesson 8
Lesson 9
Coordinate Input
Direct Distance Entry (DDE)
Measure Tools
ID Point
Exercise: Creating a Border
Basic Plotting from Model Space
More Exercises for Lesson 9
Lesson 10
Moving the Origin
Displaying the UCS Icon
Exercises for Lesson 10
Lesson 11
Polar Coordinate Input
Dynamic Input
Using Dynamic Input and Polar Coordinates
Polar Tracking
Using Polar Tracking and DDE
Polar Snap
Using Polar Tracking and Polar Snap
Exercises for Lesson 11
Lesson 12
Offset
Properties Palette
Quick Properties Panel
Offsetgaptype
Exercises for Lesson 12
Lesson 13
Array
Exercises for Lesson 13
Lesson 14
Scale
Stretch
Rotate
Exercises for Lesson 14
Lesson 15
Hatch
Hatch Properties
Hatch Types
Editing Hatch Set Properties
Hatch without Boundaries
Exercises for Lesson 15
Lesson 16
Dimensioning
Linear Dimensioning
Continue Dimensioning
Baseline Dimensioning
Dimension Styles
Ignoring Hatch Objects
Exercises for Lesson 16
Lesson 17
Editing Dimension Text Values
Editing the Dimension Position
Modifying an Entire Dimension Style
Overriding a Dimension Style
Editing an Individual Existing Dimension
Dimension Breaks
Jogging a Dimension Line
Adjusting the Distance Between Dimensions
Exercises for Lesson 17
Lesson 18
Dimensioning Diameters
Dimensioning Radii
Angular Dimensioning
Center Mark – Automatic
Center Mark – Manual
Centerline
Flip Arrow
Creating a Dimension Sub-Style
Exercises for Lesson 18
Lesson 19
Multileader
Creating a Multileader Style
Aligned Dimensioning
Special Text Characters
Prefix and Suffix
Exercises for Lesson 19
Lesson 20
Dim Command
Exercises for Lesson 20
Lesson 21
Match Properties
Match Layer
Creating a Revision Cloud
Converting an Object to a Revision Cloud
Selecting the Revision Cloud Style
Wipeout
Exercises for Lesson 21
Lesson 22
Drawing an Arc
Dimensioning Arc Lengths
Dimensioning a Large Curve
Exercises for Lesson 22
Lesson 23
Understanding and Creating Polylines
Exercises for Lesson 23
Lesson 24
Editing Polylines
Join Command
Exercises for Lesson 24
Lesson 25
Creating New Text Styles
Selecting a Text Style
Deleting a Text Style
Changing the Effects of a Text Style
Divide Command
Measure Command
Exercises for Lesson 25
Lesson 26
Serious Business
Model and Layout Options
Model and Layout Tabs
Viewports
Reach Into a Viewport
Pan
Locking a Viewport
Creating a Page Setup
Using the Layout
Plotting from a Layout Tab
Annotative Property
Exercises for Lesson 26
Lesson 27
Creating Scaled Drawings
Adjusting the Viewport Scale
Annotative Objects
Paper Space Dimensioning
Exercises for Lesson 27
Lesson 28
Assigning Multiple Annotative Scales
Removing an Annotative Scale
Annotative Hatch
Exercises for Lesson 28
Lesson 29
Blocks
Inserting Blocks
Automatic Block Placement
Re-Defining a Block
Count the Number of Blocks in a Drawing
Purge Unwanted and Unused Blocks
Multileader and Blocks
Collect Multileader
Exercises for Lesson 29
Lesson 30
Text – Arc Aligned
Text – Modify Text
Text – Convert to MText and Auto Number
Text – Enclose in Object
Draw – Break-Line Symbol
Tools – Command Aliases
Creating and Managing a Group
Import a PDF File into AutoCAD
Import a PDF File with SHX Fonts
Drawing Compare
Shared Views
Exercises for Lesson 30
Appendixes
A Add a Printer / Plotter
B Dynamic Input
C Frequently Asked Questions
D AutoCAD Quick Key Guide