For beginning-level courses in AutoCAD. Unlike the other available books on AutoCAD — which tend to be little more than dictionaries of commands with few, if any, working drawings tacked on the back, and simplistic exercises with no dimensions — this text/self-study guide offers a hands-on activity-based, task-oriented approach to the use of AutoCAD as drafting tool — complete with techniques, tips, shortcuts, and insights designed to increase efficiency. Topics and tasks are carefully grouped to lead students logically through the AutoCAD command set — with the level of difficulty increasing steadily as skills are acquired through experience and practice. Straightforward explanations focus on what is relevant to actual drawing procedures, and illustrations show exactly what to expect on the computer screen when steps are correctly completed.