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Drawing Setup
using AutoCAD Architecture

Starting AutoCAD Architecture

First you will start AutoCAD Architecture, open a new drawing and setup it.
To do this:

• Launch AutoCAD Architecture from the icon on your desktop or
• Click Start > type AutoCAD Architecture > click on  the AutoCAD Architecture icon on the taskbar.
  The Starting page of AutoCAD Architecture will appear (Fig.2.0.1.1).

• Click on "Start Drawing" icon, and the default workspace AutoCAD Architecture (ACA) will appear as shown in Fig.2.0.1.2.

The default workspace of ACA (with the name 'architecture', as shown on the Quick Access tool bar), consists of a drawing window, ribbons, tool palettes, and other controls that you use to create your design, set up your architectural project, and generate construction documents.
The Application Menu contains commands that are relevant for the drawing as a whole.

• To access the application menu, click the button at the upper-left corner of the workspace (Fig.2.0.1.2).
• To start a new drawing, on the Application Menu which will open, select > New > Drawing (Fig.2.0.1.3.)

• On the Select Template window that will open, select Aec Model (Metric Stb) and click Open (Fig.2.0.1.4).

• On the Application Menu click Drawing Utilities > Drawing Setup (Fig.2.0.1.5.)

• At the Drawing Setup window that will open, select the tab Units and verify that the Units are set to meters (Fig.2.0.1.6).
• Choose the Scale tab, change the scale to 1:50, verify that the Annotation plot size = 3.5, and check the Automatically Create Dimscale Override (Fig.2.0.1.7).

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  Fig.2.0.1.6 - Drawing Setup - Units - Meters
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  Fig.2.0.1.7 - Drawing Setup - Scale

• Choose the Layering tab, and verify that the Layer Standards/Key File to Auto-Import  is AecLayerStb.dwg and that the Layer Key Style is AEC Title Case NCS 256 Color *current drawing (Fig.2.0.1.8).
• Select the Display tab and from the Display Configuration flyout choose Hight Detail (Fig.2.0.1.9).
• Click OK to close the Drawing Setup dialog box.

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  Fig.2.0.1.8 - Drawing Setup - Layering
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  Fig.2.0.1.9 - Drawing Setup - Display

Before doing anything else, go to Drawing status bar, click on the 'Display drawing grid' icon (Fig.2.5.1.1), and turn it OFF (it has to be grey color, when the color is blue it is ON), then click on the Annotation scale icon and change the scale to 1:50 (Fig.2.0.1.10).

Before you save your drawing setup, create in the drive C of your computer a folder called ACA, within this create a subfolder named  'tutorials', where you will store the files, you will design with ACA (AutoCAD Architecture).
Inside the folder tutorials, create the subfolder myHouse, which will be the project folder that you will design next.

Save your drawing in the folder house21 with the name h21_starting. The full path of the file will be: C:\ACA\tutorials\house21/h21_starting.dwg.
At the next chapter House Outline you are going to start designing the outline of the basement plan, for your project House21.

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