Computer Aided Drafting Questions and Answers

Answer: C

The real dimensions belong to the model and are independent of how it is printed, which is why CAD work is done full size. Paper, scale and pen weights are all decisions made when the drawing is issued rather than when it is drawn.

Answer: D

To edit one line of the hexagon, use the explode command.

The POLYGON command creates a single polyline object, which is why selecting one side selects the whole hexagon. EXPLODE breaks the polyline into its six separate line segments, which can then be edited or erased individually.

ARRAY makes copies of an object, ERASE would delete the whole polyline, and deleting and redrawing it gives the same single object again.

Answer: D

Lines of infinite length in AutoCAD are drawn with X LINE (XLINE).

The XLINE (construction line) command draws a line that extends infinitely in both directions, used as a guide for drawing. The related RAY command draws a line infinite in one direction only.

XREF attaches an external reference drawing, and TLINE and ZLINE are not AutoCAD commands for infinite lines.

Answer: A

Object snaps (OSNAP) are the most important way to specify precise locations on objects.

Object snaps lock the cursor exactly onto geometric points of existing objects, such as endpoints, midpoints, centres, intersections, perpendiculars and tangents, so that new geometry can be drawn accurately without typing coordinates.

The other options describe other AutoCAD features: rounded corners tangent to two objects are made with FILLET, scaled views on a drawing sheet are layout viewports, and horizontal, vertical, aligned and radial dimensions are made with the DIMENSION commands.

Answer: B

The PLINE command is used to draw a polyline.

A polyline is a single object made of connected line and arc segments. Because it is one entity, it can be given width, edited as a whole, offset, filleted or used to measure areas and perimeters, unlike a chain of separate LINE segments.

A polygon is drawn with POLYGON, a parallel line with OFFSET, and two points are joined with a simple LINE.

Answer: A

A circle has 5 grip points.

Selecting a circle in AutoCAD shows a grip at its centre and one at each of its four quadrant points (0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees), five in all. Dragging a quadrant grip changes the radius, and dragging the centre grip moves the circle.

Four counts only the quadrant grips and forgets the centre. Three is the number of grips on a line or an arc (two ends and a midpoint), and two would be the ends of a line alone.

Answer: D

The command is ORBIT.

ORBIT (3DORBIT) lets the user rotate the view of a 3D model freely with the mouse, so it can be seen from any angle without changing the model itself.

VIEW saves and restores named views rather than rotating the viewpoint interactively. MIRROR creates a mirror-image copy of objects about a line, and ANGLE is not an AutoCAD viewing command.

Answer: B

The command is Join.

The JOIN command combines separate objects whose ends meet into a single object. When lines, arcs and polylines lying end to end are joined, the result is a single polyline. The Join option of PEDIT does the same.

'Add', 'Collect' and 'Merge' are not the AutoCAD command that converts separate objects into a polyline.

Answer: D

The command is Measure.

In AutoCAD, MEASURE places point objects or blocks along a line, arc or polyline at a fixed distance that the user specifies, so it divides the object into segments of a predefined length.

DIVIDE is the near miss: it splits the object into a stated number of equal segments, whatever their length. CHAMFER bevels the corner between two lines, and TRIM cuts objects off at a cutting edge.

Answer: B

The mode is Ortho.

Ortho mode (toggled with F8) restricts the cursor to horizontal and vertical movement, so every line drawn is at 0° or 90° to the axes, and straight lines at right angles are drawn exactly.

Polar tracking shows alignment paths at set angle increments, which can include 90°, but it guides the cursor rather than locking it. Osnap snaps to geometric points on objects, such as endpoints and midpoints. 'Linear' is not a drawing mode.