Inside AutoCAD® 2002

Changing Coordinate Systems

The beginning of this chapter looked at AutoCAD’s rectangular or Cartesian coordinates system from the standpoint of entering coordinates representing points in your drawing (refer to Figure 6.1). You learned about absolute and relative coordinate entry in both rectangular and polar formats. By using the Cartesian coordinates system, and entering either absolute or relative coordinates, you can create highly accurate, detailed drawings of anything.

When you begin a new AutoCAD drawing you are, by default, using a rectangular coordinate system that is called the World Coordinate System, or WCS. In addition to the WCS, you can create other coordinate systems called User Coordinate Systems, or UCSs. They are called UCSs ...