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Lesson 2-02 – Basic Drawing Commands – Using Coordinates

🎯 AutoCAD Lesson Plan: Basic Drawing Commands – Using Coordinates

📚 Course Level: Beginner (Level 1)

⏱️ Duration: 60–90 minutes

🛠️ Lesson Type: Self-paced or Instructor-led

🔑 Prerequisite: Familiarity with the AutoCAD interface and drawing basic shapes (Lesson 1.2 and 1.3)

🎯 Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, learners will be able to:

  • Understand and apply absolute, relative, and polar coordinates in AutoCAD.
  • Accurately create geometry using typed coordinate entry.
  • Use coordinate entry to draw with precision instead of only using the mouse.
  • Improve speed and accuracy for technical and drafting projects.

🧩 Topics Covered

TopicDescription
Absolute CoordinatesReferencing a fixed point (origin) to enter points
Relative CoordinatesReferencing the last entered point using @ symbol
Polar CoordinatesUsing angle and distance (@distance<angle) to draw lines and shapes
Direct Distance EntryMoving the mouse in a direction and typing in the length
Coordinate Input TipsUnderstanding units, angle measurement, and command line prompts

🧭 Lesson Outline

🔹 1. Introduction to Coordinate Systems (10 min)

  • Definition of coordinate input
  • Importance of precision in CAD
  • Cartesian vs. polar coordinate systems

Key Concept: AutoCAD uses (X,Y) format for points; angles are measured counter-clockwise from 0° (positive X-axis).

🔹 2. Using Absolute Coordinates (10 min)

  • Coordinates are entered based on the origin (0,0)
  • Format: X,Y
  • Example: Entering 10,20 means 10 units right, 20 units up from origin

Practice Activity:
Draw a triangle using:

LINE
10,10 ↵
20,10 ↵
20,20 ↵
10,10 ↵

🔹 3. Using Relative Coordinates (10 min)

  • Enter relative to the previous point using @
  • Format: @X,Y
  • @10,0 means 10 units to the right of last point

Practice Activity:
Draw a square starting at 5,5:

LINE
5,5 ↵
@10,0 ↵
@0,10 ↵
@-10,0 ↵
C ↵ (to close)

🔹 4. Using Polar Coordinates (15 min)

  • Enter a distance and angle from the last point
  • Format: @distance<angle
  • Example: @10<90 goes 10 units up

Practice Activity:
Draw a triangle with angles:

LINE
30,30 ↵
@10<0 ↵
@10<120 ↵
C ↵

🔹 5. Direct Distance Entry (Optional/Intro – 5 min)

  • Turn on Ortho Mode (F8) or Polar Tracking (F10)
  • Move mouse in direction → type distance → press Enter
  • Good for quick drafting, not exact coordinates

🔹 6. Combining All Methods (15 min)

Practice Activity:
Draw a simple floor plan shape using a combination of:

  • Absolute start
  • Relative distances
  • Polar angles

🧠 Self-Check Quiz (Optional)

  1. What’s the difference between absolute and relative coordinates?
  2. What does @0,10 mean in AutoCAD?
  3. What angle would you use to draw a line downward in polar coordinates?
  4. What command would draw a line 5 units to the right of your current point?

🛠️ Hands-On Drawing Challenge

Goal: Create a simple mechanical part using coordinates only.

  • Start at absolute point 0,0
  • Use at least:
    • 3 relative coordinates
    • 3 polar coordinates
    • 1 direct distance input

Save your drawing as: coordinates_exercise.dwg

✅ Completion Checklist

✔ Drew shapes using absolute coordinates
✔ Drew using relative and polar formats
✔ Practiced entering precision dimensions
✔ Understood angles and direction in AutoCAD
✔ Completed and saved the challenge file