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This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

Using Isometric Snap

To begin drawing isometrically, you need to switch to the isometric snap style. You will find the grid and crosshairs behaving in ways that might seem odd at first, but you will quickly get used to them.

  • arrow.jpg Begin a new drawing using decimal units and 18 × 12 limits. Use the 1B template if you have it; otherwise, be sure to use the acad.dwt template.

  • arrow.jpg Check to see that the Grid Mode and Snap Mode tools are on.

  • arrow.jpg Click the ISODRAFT tool from the status bar, as shown in Figure 11-1.

    FIGURE 11.1

    Figure 11-1 ISODRAFT tool

At this point, your grid and crosshairs are reoriented, resembling Figure 11-2. This is the 2D model space grid in isometric mode. Gridlines are drawn at 30°, 90°, and 150° angles from the horizontal, depending on which isoplane is being represented. The crosshairs are initially turned to define the left isometric plane, and gridlines are drawn to represent the left isoplane, with lines at 90° and 150°. The three isoplanes are discussed in the “Switching Isometric Planes” section.

FIGURE 11.2

Figure 11-2 Isometric grid, left isoplane

arrow.jpg To get a feeling for how this snap style works, start the LINE command and draw some boxes, as shown in Figure 11-3.

FIGURE 11.3

Figure 11-3 Isometric boxes

Make sure Ortho is off and Snap is on, or you will be unable to draw the lines shown.

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