In the previous lessons you have been having fun learning most of the basic commands that AutoCAD offers and you have been using a template that included preset layers and drawing settings etc. But now it is time to get down to the "serious business" of setting up your own drawing from "scratch".

Starting from scratch means you will need to set or create the following:

• Items 1 through 5 you have learned in previous lessons

  1. Drawing Units (Lesson 4)

  2. Snap and Grid (Lesson 2)

  3. Create Text styles (Lesson 25)

  4. Create Dimension Styles (Lesson 16)

  5. Create new layers and load linetypes.

• Items 6 through 9 will be learned in this lesson

  1. Create a "Layout" for plotting.

  2. Create a "Floating Viewport" in the Layout.

  3. Create a "Page Setup" to save plot settings.

  4. Plot the drawing from Paper space.

After reading pages 26-3 through 26-22 start Exercise 26A and work your way through to 26D. When you have completed Exercise 26E you will have created a master template named, " My Decimal Setup". This master template will have everything set, created and prepared, ready to use each time you want to create a drawing using decimal units and to be plotted on an 8-1/2 X 11 inch sheet.

This means, for future drawings you merely select File / New and "My Decimal Setup.dwt" and start drawing. No time consuming setups. It is all ready to go.

In Lesson 27 you will create a master template...