Hi Folks, I'm a retired "t-square and triangle" drafter and I'm trying to learn something new in my old age.  A neighbor friend (a retired engineer) gave me a PC that has AutoCAD LT 2013 installed on it.I wanted to try drawing  the floor plan of the townhouse that my wife and I live in.  After a lot of fiddling around, I found the line drawing tool.  But every time I begin to draw a line by picking the first point with the mouse, the display and input switches to what I'd call 'Polar Coordinates'.  In other words, it prompts for distance and angle for the second point.  That type of input is completely foreign to me.How can I switch the input method to to 'Rectangular (x, y) coordinate' input?

Let's back up a second.You are drawing a floor plan.  OK.  Did you set your UNITS > Length > Type to "Architectural"?  Yes or no?Also, make sure you draw everything FULL size.  It doesn't matter if you are drawing something as small as a paper clip or as large as the Freedom Tower; draw it FULL size.  Do not draw "to scale" as one might do on a drafting board.  If a room is 10 feet x 12 feet that's what you draw it.Now to your question.Right click in the area of the coordinate display (at the bottom of your screen) and choose from the list which includes Relative, Absolute, Geographic, and Specific.Did you know that after you have picked the starting point of your line you can drag your mouse in the direction you want the line to go in (make sure to use Orthomode for perfectly straight lines) and just type in the distance (ex. - 4' or 4'6" without the dash in between)?Make sure to also utilize OSnaps for accuracy too.Last thing.  Create separate layers (with unique colors) for walls, windows, doors. dimensions, text, etc.  Do not draw everything on layer "0" in the color white.  That's just boring as hell and a pain to work with afterwards. Anything else?  No?  Then good luck with your floor plan.  Post an image after you have completed it.

John Connor2015-06-24 12:02:56

[QUOTE=John Connor]Let's back up a second.You are drawing a floor plan.  OK.  Did you set your UNITS > Length > Type to "Architectural"?  Yes or no?Also, make sure you draw everything FULL size.  It doesn't matter if you are drawing something as small as a paper clip or as large as the Freedom Tower; draw it FULL size.  Do not draw "to scale" as one might do on a drafting board.  If a room is 10 feet x 12 feet that's what you draw it.Now to your question.Right click in the area of the coordinate display (at the bottom of your screen) and choose from the list which includes Relative, Absolute, Geographic, and Specific.Did you know that after you have picked the starting point of your line you can drag your mouse in the direction you want the line to go in (make sure to use Orthomode for perfectly straight lines) and just type in the distance (ex. - 4' or 4'6" without the dash in between)?Make sure to also utilize OSnaps for accuracy too.Last thing.  Create separate layers (with unique colors) for walls, windows, doors. dimensions, text, etc.  Do not draw everything on layer "0" in the color white.  That's just boring as hell and a pain to work with afterwards. Anything else?  No?  Then good luck with your floor plan.  Post an image after you have completed it.

[/QUOTE]Thanks for your reply.To answer your first question: YES, my length units are set to Architectural.  Also, I am drawing to full size.  I did have a little training with Microstation before I retired 10 years ago and that is one of the few things that I remembered about CAD drawing.  Draw everything full size and scale as needed when you print or plot.Now on to my question.When I right-click the coordinate display block in the bottom-left of my screen I only have 1 option "OFF" available.  After I choose "OFF" the only available option changes to "Absolute".The method you describe for drawing a line is very similar to the little I remember from Microstation.  in Microstation there was a feature called AccuDraw that enabled accurate line placement.I do have Object Snap toggled on.If I can figure out how to undo this polar coordinate line drawing thing, then I can dig into layers.I am attaching a screen shot that shows the Polar input thing that is there whenever I acctivate the line command.  Before I start a line command, the coordinate display in the bottom-left shows normal rectangular coordinates.

Interesting graphic.  Kind of reminds me of the several feet of snow piled up outside my house two winters ago.  I had to tunnel out.Re: Coordinate display.  Check your AutoCAD Help file by pressing the F1 key.  Search on the word phrase "To change the coordinate display".  Look in the right hand pane.  Three methods are listed.  Try one or all three.  Done.  Next question? 
John Connor2015-06-25 13:14:51

[QUOTE=John Connor]Interesting graphic.  Kind of reminds me of the several feet of snow piled up outside my house two winters ago.  I had to tunnel out.Re: Coordinate display.  Check your AutoCAD Help file by pressing the F1 key.  Search on the word phrase "To change the coordinate display".  Look in the right hand pane.  Three methods are listed.  Try one or all three.  Done.  Next question? 
[/QUOTE]Let me try posting that screen shot again.

[QUOTE=KegTed]...Let me try posting that screen shot again. ...[/QUOTE]Most of the line detail got lost when the pic was down sized!

Well that image would have been best included in your very first post.  All the while I thought you were talking about the coordinates that are displayed in the lower left hand corner of the screen.  Seems you were referring to Dynamic Input which is what you see near your crosshairs.  Disable the feature.  There is an icon on the System Tray at the bottom of your screen to do so.

[QUOTE=John Connor]Well that image would have been best included in your very first post.  All the while I thought you were talking about the coordinates that are displayed in the lower left hand corner of the screen.  Seems you were referring to Dynamic Input which is what you see near your crosshairs.  Disable the feature.  There is an icon on the System Tray at the bottom of your screen to do so.[/QUOTE]Hi John, I really appreciate the help that you've given me. I disabled the Dynamic input as you suggested but it still wanted me to input a line by distance and angle.I just want to draw an object by starting in the lower-left corner.  The first segment is 5" long to the right, next segment is at an angle 2" to the right and 1" to the top - I do not know the angle in degrees.  It's hard (for me) to believe that there's not an easy way to toggle between polar and rectangular input.When I discovered this AutoCAD LT 2013 on the PC my friend gave me I thought WOW, this is something I can use to kill time and maybe make a useful sketch every now and then.  But it's turning out to be more frustrating than relaxing.    I think I'll just put this AutoCAD LT thing back in the box and for get it.Thanks again for trying to help.

You're making this more frustrating than it needs to be.How would you have drawn the same line if you were still doing it manually on a drafting board?  Come on...think.By the way, the line would be 2.2361 in length, drawn at an angle of 26.5651.
John Connor2015-06-29 23:57:43

[QUOTE=John Connor]You're making this more frustrating than it needs to be.How would you have drawn the same line if you were still doing it manually on a drafting board?  Come on...think.By the way, the line would be 2.2361 in length, drawn at an angle of 26.5651.
[/QUOTE](Thinking......)Doing it manually, I would have drawn a vertical construction line 2" to the right and a horizontal construction line 1" to the top.  The intersection would be the endpoint for the line.I was hoping that I could do that with AutoCAD LT by dragging the cursor to the right and keying in 2' and then move the cursor to the top and key in 1" and then click to accept the point but that does not work.Thanks.

Yes, you can and it does work.  And keep in mind even if you have Dynamic Input enabled it is still entirely possible to start a line, drag the mouse in the direction you want to go and input the distance via the keyboard.  I know because I've done it.  Stop making this more difficult than it has to be or you'll be sitting there another week from now with all of one line drawn.  Time to make some progress.Another option: use some "temporary" geometry then erase same after you have established the next end point for your line.  Simple.  Tell me you never did something like that on the board using a Koh-I-Noor 4H or 6H pencil or a 2H J.S. Staedtler-Mars Lumograph (blue) pencil.  Then you either left those lines there, since they would not print when you put the drawing through your diazo machine, or you erased them using your electric eraser or a manual eraser and erasing shield.  I know you did.Have you looked at any tutorials yet?Have you purchased a good after-market AutoCAD book?Have you viewed any YouTube videos re: AutoCAD?There are many sources of information available to you.  Utilize them and you will end your CAD drafter's block.


John Connor2015-06-30 13:39:27

[QUOTE=KegTed]Hi Folks, I'm a retired "t-square and triangle" drafter and I'm trying to learn something new in my old age.  A neighbor friend (a retired engineer) gave me a PC that has AutoCAD LT 2013 installed on it.I wanted to try drawing  the floor plan of the townhouse that my wife and I live in.  After a lot of fiddling around, I found the line drawing tool.  But every time I begin to draw a line by picking the first point with the mouse, the display and input switches to what I'd call 'Polar Coordinates'.  In other words, it prompts for distance and angle for the second point.  That type of input is completely foreign to me.How can I switch the input method to to 'Rectangular (x, y) coordinate' input?[/QUOTE]Ted,This is Basic AutoCAD. Since you're new to the program, you'll need to start at the very beginning.Cartesian (i.e. X,Y,Z) coordinates can always be entered on the command line when Acad asks you for a point, a distance, or an angle. Cartesian coordinates work just like a sheet of graph paper; the bottom line of the grid is the X axis, which is numbered from left to right, and the left line of the grid is the Y axis, which is numbered from bottom to top. Coordinates are always measured from the axes - X first (distance from the 0 in a horizontal direction), then Y (distance form the 0 in a vertical direction). The point where the X and Y axis cross each other is called the 0,0 origin point. In CAD circles, it's usually just called 0,0.Cartesian coordinates in Acad operate in two 'modes', Absolute, and Relative. Absolute coordinates are always measured from the 0,0 origin point, but Relative coordinates are measured from the last point you entered or clicked. Positive numbers always count to the right in the X direction, and up in the Y direction, while negative numbers draw to the left in the X direction and down in the Y direction.If you start the Line command and type in "2,1", the first point of the line will be 2 units to the right of the 0,0 origin, and 1 unit up from the 0,0 origin. This is an Absolute coordinate.Relative coordinates are entered by putting the @ symbol in front of the number when you type them in. So, when Acad asks you for the next point point, and you type in "@12,9", the line will be drawn 12 units to the right of the first point, and 9 units up from the first point. If you enter "@6,4" for the next point, the resulting line will be drawn 6 units over and 4 units up from the *previous point*, not from the first point or from the origin. Relative coordinates are always measured from the *last point you entered.*Quick exercise:To draw a rectangle that's 12x9, start the Line command, pick a random point for the first point, then type:@12,0 <<draws a horizontal line 12 units long, 0 units tall, left to right>>@0,9 <<draws a vertical line 0 units long, 9 units tall,bottom to top>>@-12,0 <<draws another horizontal line 12 units long, 0 units tall, but it draws from right to left because of the - sign>>@0,-9 <<draws another vertical line 0 units long, 12 units tall, but draws it from top to bottom because of the - sign>>Another basic construction method in Acad is to draw horizontal and vertical lines using Ortho mode (toggle it on/off at the bottom left  of the Acad window or by using Function key F8 on your keyboard), then using the Offset command to create parallel copies of these lines at set distance.Draw a horizontal line.Draw a vertical line that overlaps the horizontal line slightlyClick the Offset command from the Modify panel of the Home ribbon tabWhen asked for an offset distance, enter 9Click the horizontal line, then choose which side you want it to copy to <<a parallel copy of the line is created, 9 units away from the original, on the side you chose>>Exit the Offset commandRestart the Offset commandWhen asked for an offset distance, enter 12Click the vertical line, then choose which side you want it to copy to <<a parallel copy of the line is created, 12 units away from the original, on the side you chose>>Exit the Offset commandNow you have a 12x9 rectangle, but the ends overlap. Use the Trim command to trim off the excess.There are easier and quicker ways to do these things, but the preceding examples are meant to teach you basic methods of entering coordinates and distances into AutoCAD. These techniques are the basics that you need to construct simple, orthagonal room layouts.*Bonus exercise:*After you have created the outline of the room, try using the Offset and Trim commands to create an outer boundary representing the wall thickness, using a .5 unit offset distance.Happy CADing.
TheWillCAD2015-07-10 18:51:31

Drawing the 12x9 using the Rectangle command > Dimension option would be much easier and there would be no trimming involved.

[QUOTE=John Connor]Drawing the 12x9 using the Rectangle command > Dimension option would be much easier and there would be no trimming involved. [/QUOTE]True, but I wasn't trying to teach Ted how to draw a rectangle. I was using a rectilinear task as an example of how to perform basic Cartesian coordinate entry in some simple AutoCAD commands.Teach a man to draw a rectangle, he can only draw rectangles. Teach him how to enter coordinates, he can draw any damn thing in the universe. Fish, day. Catch, life. As it were.

More than one way to skin the proverbial cat.

OK guys, I finally was able to talk to the friend and ex-neighbor that gave me the PC with the AutoCAD LT on it. I told him I found the AutoCAD and tried to use it but was having problems.  His first words were "Oops, I meant to uninstall that program".  He said that he quit using it because he also started having problems using it.  He said that as soon as he got everything unpacked in his new house, he would find the install disk and mail it to me.  He felt sure that a reinstall would fix it. He just never had time to do it.In the mean time, I pulled out an old copy of MicroStation V8 XM that I had from before I retired.  It installed fine, but I didn't have a license for it and it would only run for 30 min and then shut down. So, I called a good friend at the company I used to work for. I knew that they had more licenses than they needed so he checked-out a license for me to use for a while and emailed it to me - I think it's good for a couple of years.I did have some training and a a few years using using MicroStation before I retired so it's all coming back to me as I use it.  MicroStation, IMO, is a much more intuitive program and the more I doodle with it, the easier it is to use.  So, I don't think I'll have a need for the AutoCAD LT on the PC and will probably uninstall it.Thanks for trying to help but it seems like the problem I was having wes due to a broken AutoCAD LT and not my inexperience with it.