Working in the AutoCAD 3D environment: Using the 3D Modeling workspace - AutoCAD Tutorial

- [Instructor] In this chapter, we're going to be taking a look at the AutoCAD 3D interface. And for that we've got a simple 3D DWG file for you to use. It's called Simple 3D Design and you can download it from the library to follow along with the videos in this particular chapter. Now, as I said we're going to be looking at the AutoCAD 3D interface. Now what we're going to take a look at, first of all is how the 3D interface works with a different workspace. So you'll notice at the moment we are currently in our regular AutoCAD workspace. You can tell that by looking up at the ribbon. You can see that we have the draw panel, the modified panel and we've got home insert, annotate, parametric, et cetera up on the ribbon. Just go back to the home tab there like so and we're going to change the workspace. Now, one of the things you can do here is you can utilize the workspace down here in the status bar. So if I click on that little arrow they say our current workspace is drafting and annotation. Now we're going to be working in 3D modeling so I'm going to select the 3D modeling workspace. You'll notice there is another workspace there called 3D basics. It is very, very basic. Just jump straight to 3D modeling that gives you all of the 3D tools that you need to work within 3D modeling in AutoCAD. So the first thing you'll notice there is the ribbon changes quite dramatically. So we are now in our 3D modeling workspace with all of our 3D modeling tools. Now I'll jump into some of the tools in the drawing area in a moment. I want to show you a neat little trick when you're 3D modeling. Up here we still have our quick access toolbar. Now there's a couple of settings that I always recommend that you use here in your quick access toolbar. If I go to this little icon here and click on it it looks a bit like an eject symbol for an old CD player for those of you that remember those. And you can customize your quick access toolbar. Now, one of the things that I suggest you always do is have your layers displayed in the quick access toolbar, there they are there's my layers. And you can see I've got the zero layer and the objects layer. If I go back to that little CD icon again though, and come down here to the bottom, I can also have my workspace displayed. Now it does make for a slightly cramped title bar up at the top here, you can see on the screen but that's purely because of the resolution I'm recording the videos at. If you are at a higher resolution and you're using AutoCAD in 3D, you'll find that that all space out really nicely on the title bar. So now I can check what layer I'm using quickly at any time on the quick access tool bar. So there's the objects layer and I can also check what workspace I'm using as well. And if I want to save a workspace, I can save current as and at the moment we are using the 3D modeling workspace. It just saves me having a dropdown here to the status bar all the time. It's up there there and it lets me know what workspace I'm using visually all the time at the top of the screen. So, we are now using obviously the objects layer and the 3D modeling workspace. I just want to show you some of the really cool tools available to you in the drawing area of AutoCAD as well. So over here you have your view control. So you'll notice if I click on Southwest isometric you'll see that I can select a top view. There's the top view. If I zoom out slightly, 'cause it does zoom in a bit there. And I can then look at say the bottom view and there's the bottom view there like so. And again, it zooms in really tight so, you can see it kind of does a zoom extent basically. And if I go here back to Southwest isometric I get an isometric view and it's flipping it around in all different directions. Now next to that, you'll also see that we have conceptual these are your visual styles that you can use. So I could go to sketchy and it looks like I've sketched the 3D solid instead I can go back to conceptual and it uses the color of the layer in just a nice shaded way. So that's our objects layer but shaded nicely using the conceptual setup in AutoCAD. You'll also notice when I click on Southwest isometric here I can go to my view manager as well. So there's view manager that will open up my view manager and allow me to set up name views and things both in the model and the layout. We'll cover that later, so click on cancel there. Now, the other tools that you've got over on the right hand side of the screen are that you've got your View Cube. So if I click on that little home icon there that'll take me to the home view of the View Cube. Notice the color changes and it goes into a 3D setup there. And I can flip around and jump around to all different views like so. Now, at the moment it's saying unnamed there because we haven't named a UCS view a user coordinate system view. If I click on the down arrow I can go back to what is called WCS, World Coordinate system, that is the default setting. So when I do that notice, I'm looking at the bottom of the little object there, the 3D solid that we've got in our simple 3D design DWG file. So what I can do is I can flip that around and there you go there's our top view like that, and you'll notice it now all orientates itself nicely to north southeast west on the View cube. So just make sure if ever you get lost set that to WCS and your view cube will then makes sense. Now we've also got the navigation bar. So we've got some tools here. So you notice we've got navigation wheels. So if I click on that, I can navigate, I can click on orbit and hold and I can orbit and pivot in the model like that. And I can zoom by holding down Zoom and moving up and down and so on. So I can do that and then I can close the steering wheel. I can jump back to my home view like so and there it is there, there's my home view. If I want it to go back to WCS, I'd click on WCS there's my top view and so on. So, all of this allows me to navigate in the interface quickly and easily. You've still got your Zoom tools here like so. So there's all your Zoom tools on the navigation bar like so, and also if I just hit escape there where I've clicked by mistake, we can also orbit as well. So we can do a free orbit and a continuous orbit if we want to. Also as well, when you're working in 3D, you might want to consider something like a 3D connection space mouse that's these tools here. So that's my object mode and my settings for my 3D connection. So if I go to 3D connection settings I can set up my Space Mouse to do various things as well. If you want to check out 3D Connection they're over on 3D connection.com. Spell the way you can see in the dialogue box with NX I'll just cancel that for now. You can set up the drivers and the 3D connection Mouse looks like a bit of a joystick kind of environment where you can move around and it allows you to have those six degrees of movement in 3D that you might need when you're doing detail design. So, I'm just going to jump back to the top view now and there's our top view like so and everything looks like it's back to normal but that's the interface you'll be using with your 3D modeling in this particular course. So as you can see, you need to have done all of the learning AutoCAD course in the AutoCAD Essentials first to get used to the regular workings of AutoCAD before we start moving into the 3D modeling.