AutoCAD® 2010 For Dummies®

Chapter 19. Call the Parametrics!

In This Chapter

• Introducing parametric drawing

• Understanding constraints

• Applying geometric and dimensional constraints

• Editing parametric drawings

Note

I'm planting the New in 2010 icon at the very beginning of this chapter, and you're not going to see it again because everything I discuss in this chapter is brand new in this release.

AutoCAD 2010 includes a set of parametric drawing tools and, offhand, I can't think of a more significant new feature in recent years. (Don't worry, I'm going to offer a definition of parametric in just a few more paragraphs.) In fact, if you work primarily in 2D, and especially if you're in the manufacturing business, the addition of parametrics to AutoCAD 2010 is probably the most significant new feature ever.

If you know what I'm talking about, you're probably pretty interested in finding out more about what you can do with parametrics. If you know what I'm talking about and you're using an older AutoCAD release, maybe I've already convinced you to think about an upgrade. If, on the other hand, you think parametrics are the folks who show up when you dial 911, the following paragraphs should straighten you out.

Maintaining Design Intent

Parametric (rule-based) drawing is by far the best way of enforcing design intent in 2D drafting. Design intent in AutoCAD 2010 (or any other engineering software) means that when drawings are edited — this part made wider, that hole made larger — all the attached or related objects behave ...