Douglas R. Seidler
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Digital Drawing for Designers:
A Visual Guide to AutoCAD 2021

by Douglas R. Seidler

Focused, clear, and relevant AutoCAD instruction 
for interior design and architecture students.

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Updated for AutoCAD 2021

Now in its sixth edition, Digital Drawing for Designers: A Visual Guide to AutoCAD 2021 continues to provide interior design and architecture students a visual, clear, and concise guide to AutoCAD. 

Neither simplistic nor exhaustive, Digital Drawing for Designers teaches by relating to what architects and interior designers understand best: hand drawing and the visual world.
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The AutoCAD book written for you

You can broadly sort the numerous AutoCAD books into two categories: “guides for dummies” and “exhaustive references”. Very few of these books address how architects and interior designers use AutoCAD.  

Packed with visual examples, Digital Drawing for Designers is written specifically for architecture students and interior design students. It provides a thorough primer for new learners and advanced instruction for designers.  
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Construction Documents

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Revised for AutoCAD 2021, Digital Drawing for Designers includes a renewed focus on using AutoCAD for construction documentation.

​Chapters 5—9 introduce you to graphic standards that will help you use AutoCAD to create drawings that communicate your design ideas.  Understanding these standards keeps you in control of your drawing and allows you to “ask of the computer” rather than let the computer dictate how your drawings will look. You will learn organizational strategies to efficiently draw and print plans, sections, and elevations. Each chapter introduces these new skills using AutoCAD standards that can be adapted to any office environment. 

Improved in this edition, Chapters 10—13 focus on construction documents. Topics include dimensioning drawings, annotating drawings, detailing for construction, and drawing symbols.

AutoCAD Web & Mobile

Chapter 16 introduces AutoCAD Web & Mobile, Autodesk’s mobile AutoCAD application. The chapter includes instructions on using AutoCAD on the Internet, iPhones, iPads, Android phones, and Android tablets.
Sample exercises are provided in the companion download to help students master AutoCAD using this new and innovative touch interface.

AutoCAD version compatability

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Written to help you easily switch between different versions of AutoCAD as you transition from the classroom to the office.

The instruction in this book is compatible with AutoCAD version 14 through AutoCAD 2021 (and everything in-between).

​While most universities teach and use the latest version of AutoCAD, many professional offices do not update their AutoCAD software annually due to hardware requirements and professional education costs. 

Compare editions

AutoCAD Version

Publish date

Construction Documents

AutoCAD Web/Mobile

Sample Drawings


Drawing Templates

Learning Exercises

Plot Styles
New to this edition
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AutoCAD 2021

January 2021 (6th ed)

Yes​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes​
Integrates instructions using the metric system (SI) throughout the textbook.

Updates for changes to AutoCAD's web and mobile apps.


Backwards compatible with AutoCAD versions 14 through 2021.
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AutoCAD 2017-16

August 2016 (5th ed)

Yes​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes​​
New chapter devoted to furniture plans and reflected ceiling plans.

​New chapter devoted to construction detailing.


Backwards compatible with AutoCAD versions 14 through 2017.
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AutoCAD 2015-13

August 2014 (4th ed)

​No


Yes​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes​

Yes​
Completely revised chapter dedicated to AutoCAD 360 including apps for the iPhone and Android mobile devices.

Backwards compatible with AutoCAD versions 14 through 2015.

Companion Download

This full companion download, updated for AutoCAD 2021, is provided as a supplement to Digital Drawing for Designers. 

The companion download contains digital learning exercises, page templates, AutoCAD Plot Styles (CTB Files), and sample AutoCAD drawings.
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Extended Contents

Acknowledgments    xvii

HAND AND DIGITAL DRAWING    1
Chapter 1, Digital Drawing Tools    3

Traditional Drawing Tools    4
Starting a New Drawing/Command Prompt    6
Ribbon Interface    7
Pan    8
Zoom    9
Viewcube/Additional Resources    10

Chapter 2, Drawing Lines and Shapes    11
Drawing Straight Lines    12
Erasing Lines    13
Horizontal and Vertical Lines    14
Line Length    15
Circles    16
Rectangles and Polygons    17
Arcs    18
Ellipses    19
Object Snaps    20
Running Object Snaps    21
Drawing Precision/Units    22
Undo    24
Learning Exercise    25

Chapter 3, Modifying Lines and Shapes    27
Moving Lines    28
Copying Lines    29
Rotating Lines    30
Mirror (Reflect) Lines    31
Stretching Lines    32
Learning Exercise    33

Chapter 4, Drawing with Accuracy and Speed    37
Drawing Polylines/Grips    38
Editing Polylines    39
Trimming Lines    40
Extending Lines    41
Offsetting Lines    42
Fillet    43
Rectangular Array    44
Polar Array    45
Path Array    46
Break/Explode    47
Blend    48
Learning Exercise    49

DESIGN DRAWINGS    51
Chapter 5, Floor Plans, Furniture Plans, and Reflected Ceiling Plans    53
Line Weight    54
Drawing with Layers    56
Selecting Colors    58
Boundary Hatch/Wall Poché    59
Hatch Patterns—Plan/Elevation    61
Linetypes/Dashed Lines    62
LTSCALE/Adding Linetypes    63
Drawing Floor Plans    64
Construction Plans    66
Furniture Plans    68
Reflected Ceiling Plans    70
Demolition Plans    72
Learning Exercise    74

Chapter 6, Sections and Elevations    83
Drawing Sections    84
Drawing Building Sections    86
Drawing Elevations    88
Drawing Building Elevations    90
Drawing Interior Elevations    92
Learning Exercise    94

Chapter 7,  Drawing and Printing to Scale    99
Paper Layout    100
Plot Styles    102
Adding a Plot Style    103
Drawing Templates    104
Creating a Custom Layout    106
Selecting a Paper Size    107
Creating a Layout: ANSI B (11" × 17") & A3    108
Creating a Layout: ARCH C (18" × 24") & A2    110
Creating a Layout: ARCH D (24" × 36") & A1    112
Adjusting and Creating Viewports    114
Scaling/Locking Viewports    115
Drawing to Scale with Viewports    116
Plotting a Layout/Drawing    117
Learning Exercise    118

Chapter 8, Text Styles and Sizes    121
Text Height    122
Annotative Text    123
Text Styles/Fonts    124
Adding Text Styles    125
Adding Text/Multiline Text    126
Editing Text    127
Learning Exercise    128

Chapter 9, Stencils and Blocks    131
Stencils/Blocks    132
Creating a Block    133
Inserting Blocks    135
Exploding Blocks/Exporting Blocks    136
Editing Blocks    137
Learning Exercise    138

CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS    141
Chapter 10, Dimensioning Your Drawing    143

Dimension Styles    144
Dimensioning Walls and Corridors    146
Dimensioning Windows and Doors    147
Dimensioning to Structure    148
Adding Linear Dimensions    149
Adding Aligned Dimensions    150
Adding Angular Dimensions    151
Dimension Style: Tick    152
Dimension Style: Dot    156
Learning Exercise    160

Chapter 11, Text Leaders    163
Text Leaders    164
Adding Text Leaders    165
Multileader Style: Arrow    166
Multileader Style: Dot    168
Learning Exercise    170

Chapter 12, Construction Detailing    175
Drawing Scale and Detail    176
Boundary Hatch    178
Hatch Patterns—Details    180
Detail Components    181
Linetypes/Dashed Lines    182
LTSCALE/Adding Linetypes    183
Casework Details    184
Plan Details    186
Ceiling Details    188

Chapter 13, Drawing Symbols and Attributed Text    191
Drawing Symbols    192
Creating Attributed Blocks    194
Inserting Attributed Blocks    195
Editing Attributed Blocks    196
Drawing Name Symbol    197
Detail Symbol    198
Exterior Elevation/Section Arrow    199
Grid Symbol    200
Interior Elevation Symbol    201
Learning Exercise    202

ADVANCED DRAWING TOOLS    205
Chapter 14, Advanced Editing Tools    207

Properties Palette    208
Match Properties/Distance    209
Scale/Scale Reference    210
Audit/Purge    211
Express Tools/Flatten    212
Overkill/Layer Off/Layer On    213
Layer Isolate/Layer Freeze/Layer Thaw    214
Layer Lock/Layer Unlock/Layer Delete    215
Layer Merge    216
Learning Exercise    217

Chapter 15, Linking Drawings/External References    219
Drawing with Overlays    220
Drawing with XREFs    221
XREF Manager    222
Adding XREFs to Your Drawing    223
Plan XREFs for Individual Designers    224
Plan XREFs for Multiple Designers    225
Elevation XREFs for Individual Designers    226
Elevation XREFs for Multiple Designers    227

Chapter 16, AutoCAD Web & Mobile    229
AutoCAD Web & Mobile    230
Web App    231
Mobile App for iOS    232
Mobile App for Android    233
Uploading Drawings to AutoCAD Web & Mobile    234
Opening Drawings    236
Command Ribbon    237
Drawing Tools    238
Drawing Tools/Measuring Tools    239
Select and Modify Tools    240
Annotation Tools    242
Layers/Layouts/Undo and Redo    243
Sharing/Exporting Drawings    244

Index    245
Basic Metric Conversion Table    251
Layer Name Reference Guide    252
Quick Command Reference Guide    254
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