CHAPTER 1 : AUTOCAD 3D MODELING

AR. MACGIL DE LEON

I. AUTOCAD 3D INTERFACE
I.1 3D SOLID MODEL, 3D SURFACE MODEL & MESH
MODELS
I.1.1 3D SURFACE MODEL
- Compose of three - dimensional faces.
- Thin shell representation; hollow.
- The drawing database is not mathematically complete.
- Not suitable for Boolean operations.
- Small in file size.
I.1.2 3D SOLID MODEL
- Solid inside.
- Big file size.
- Suitable for solid editing.
- Can display mass properties (Command: MASSPROP) (volume,
centroid, radii of gyration , etc.)
I.1.3 3D MESH MODELS
- Consists of vertices,
edges, and faces that use
polygonal representation.
- Hollow
- No mass properties.
- Can be converted into 3D
surfaces or solids.

I.2 WORKSPACE
AutoCAD workspaces are sets of menus, toolbars and dockable windows (such as the Properties
palette, DesignCenter, and the Tool palettes window) that are grouped and organized so that you can
work in a custom, task-oriented drawing environment.

 Setting up From “Drafting Annotation” to “3D Basics” or “3D Modeling”

1. Click the Workspace Switching icon.

2. Click 3D Basics or 3D Modeling.

I.2.1 3D Basics Interface

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3D Basics is used on 3D drawing that does not require intricate details. It only used on basic 3D
objects and has only basic 3D commands

The following is AutoCAD’s 3D Basic The 3D Basic pulldown menus are as follows:
interface. The 3D Basic ribbons are as follows:  Home
 Create  Render
 Edit  Insert
 Draw  Manage
 Modify  Output
 Selection  Plug-ins
 Coordinates  Online Express Tools
 Layers and Views

I.2.2 3D Modeling Interface

3D Modeling, on the otherhand, commonly used to create different object that requires detailed
solid editing but also requires large amount of space on the storage. More 3D command tools were present
on this workspace to maximize the editing and rendering techniques on creating objects.

The 3D Modeling panels are as follows: The 3D Modeling pulldown menus are as
 Modeling follows:
 Mesh  Home
 Solid Editing  Solid
 Draw  Surfaces
 Modify  Mesh
 Section  Render

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 Coordinates  Parametric
 View  Insert, Annotate, View, Manage, Output, Plug-ins,
 Selection Online, and Express Tools
 Layers and Groups

I.2.3 Modifying 3D Views

If you are in the 3d modeling workspace you can change the view of your drawing
area by going to:j

*HOME>>VIEW PANEL and select any preset as

top, bottom, left, right, front, SW, SE, NE, and isometric view

**The ViewCube provides visual feedback about the current

orientation of a model. The ViewCube can help you adjust the
viewpoint of a model. The orientation shown by the ViewCube is based on
the North direction of the WCS for the model. The ViewCube also
shows the current UCS and allows you to restore a named UCS.

I.3 USER COORDINATE SYSTEM

ICON (UCS ICON)
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It sets the orientation of the User Coordinate System in 3d Space.

 To
set UCS icon properties
Command: UCSICON
Enter an option[ON/OFF/A/N/OR/P]<ON>: P

 To change the orientation of UCS Icon

*Command: UCS
[Face/Named/Object/Previous/View/X/Y/Z/ZAxis]

I.4 VIEWPORTS
Usually viewports were used to view 2D and 3D view of a single file on the same time. It could be
customized depending on the preferences
of the user.

*Command: -VPORTS then Enter. Then choose your

preferred settings.

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*Your screen will look something like the figure below with four views in one AutoCAD drawing.

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II. AUTOCAD 3D COMMANDS

II.1 3D MODELING COMMANDS
3D Commands only appears and used on 3D Workspaces. Some commands may be the same
with 2D, however, differs on how it was called and used in the workspace.

 Commands to Create / Edit 3D Objects

1. RECTANGLE WITH THICKNESS

CHANGE or PROPERTIES = command to change elevation and thickness.
ELEVATION = distance of object from the X,Y, Plane
THICKNESS = extrusion height

2. 3D SOLID MODEL
EXTRUDE = command to assign thickness and taper angle.
HT. OF EXTRUSION = thickness of the object.
MOVE = command to assign distance from the X, Y, Plane

AutoCad 3D Solid Primitives

Cube, Cylinder, Cone, Sphere, Pyramid, CUBE CONE
Wedge & Torus. CYLINDER SPHERE

(From upper left to down right)

PYRAMID WEDGE TORUS

Solid Primitives are basic 3D shapes in solid from such as box , cylinder, cone, sphere, pyramid, wedge, and
torus. You can use these primitives and combine them to create complex 3D models.
II.1.1 3D Solid Editing Commands
 3D Rotate - Moves objects about a 3D axis.It is recommended that you use the
gizmos available through the 3DMOVE and 3DROTATE commands to
manipulate 3D objects.
 Extrude - Creates a 3D solid from an object that encloses an area, or a 3D
surface from an object with open ends.
 Union - Combines two or more 3D solids, surfaces, or 2D regions into a single,
composite 3D solid, surface, or region.
 Subtract - Creates as a new object by subtracting one overlapping region or 3D
solid from another.
 Intersect - Creates a 3D solid, surface, or 2D region from overlapping solids,
surfaces, or regions.
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 Copy Face
 Click Home tab Solid Editing panel Face Editing drop-down Copy
Faces.
 Select the face to copy.
 Select additional faces or press Enter to copy.
 Specify the base point for the copy.
 Specify the second point of displacement and press Enter.
 Imprint - Imprints 2D geometry on a 3D solid or surface, creating additional
edges on planar faces.
 Chamfer - Bevels or chamfers the edges of two 2D objects or the adjacent faces
of a 3D solid.
 Fillet - A fillet or round connects two objects with a tangent arc in 2D, or creates a
rounded transition between the adjacent faces of a 3D solid. An inside corner is
called a fillet and an outside corner is called a round; you can create both using
the FILLET command.

 Shell - Convert a 3D solid to a hollow wall, or shell.

 Slice - Creates new 3D solids and surfaces by slicing, or dividing, existing objects.

 Taper Face or Wedge - Creates a 3D solid wedge.

 Loft - Creates a 3D solid or surface in the space between several cross sections.
 Sweep - Creates a 3D solid or 3D surface by sweeping a 2D object or subobject
along an open or closed path.
 Revolve - Creates a 3D solid or surface by sweeping an object around an axis.

 Helix - Creates a 2D spiral or 3D spring.

 Thicken - Converts a surface into a 3D solid with a specified thickness.
 Convert to Surface
 Click Home tab Solid Editing panel Convert to Surface.
 Select the objects you want to convert and press Enter.
 You can convert 2D solids, meshes, regions, planar 3D faces, and polylines,
lines, and arcs with thickness.

II.1.2 Other 3D Commands

 Mirror3D - Creates a mirrored copy of selected 3D objects across a mirroring
plane.

 Cone - Creates a 3D solid cone.

 Mesh - Creates a 3D mesh primitive object such as a box, cone, cylinder,

pyramid, sphere, wedge, or torus.

 3D Poly - Creates a 3D polyline.

 3D Move - In a 3D view, displays the 3D Move gizmo to aid in moving 3D

objects a specified distance in a specified direction. With the 3D Move gizmo, you
can move selected objects and subobjects freely or constrain the movement to an
axis or plane.
 3D Orbit - Rotates the view in 3D space, but constrained to horizontal and
vertical orbit only.

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 3D Scale - In a 3D view, displays the 3D Scale gizmo to aid in resizing 3D objects.

 Cylinder - Creates a 3D solid cylinder.

 Box - Creates a 3D solid box.

 Pyramid - Creates a 3D solid pyramid.

 Sphere – Creates a 3D solid sphere.

 Polysolid - Creates 3D solid in the shape of a wall or series of walls.

 Presspull - Dynamically modifies objects by extrusion and offset.

 Torus - Creates a donut-shaped 3D solid.

 Materials Browser (MAT) - Opens the Materials Browser. The Materials

Browser allows you navigate and manage your materials. You can organize, sort,
search, and select materials for use in your drawing. This is used to render the 3D
solid or surface model.
 Render - Creates a photorealistic or realistically shaded image of a 3D
solid or surface model

3. 3D MESH MODEL

 Click the 3D Modeling dropdown option from the Solids panel.

 Click the Mesh tab.
 Click the Primitives panel.
 Click the Primitive drop-down.
 Select Mesh Box, Mesh Cone, Mesh Cylinder, Mesh
Pyramid, Mesh Sphere, Mesh Wedge, Mesh Torus.

**TESSELLATION is the number of multiple divisions that made

up mesh objects.
To adjust tessellation divisions:
1. Click (or command: MESHPRIMITIVEOPTIONS)
2. In the dialog box select mesh primitive and specify under
tessellation divisions the no. of values desired. Then click OK.

Note: the higher the value of tessellation divisions the more no.
of face, vertices, and edges and the smoother the primitive are
created.

o EDITING MESH MODELS

 Smooth More (MESHSMOOTHMORE) - Increases the level of
smoothness for mesh objects by one level.
 Smooth Less (MESHSMOOTHLESS) - Decreases the level of
smoothness for mesh objects by one level.

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 Refine Mesh (MESHREFINE) - Multiplies the number of faces in selected mesh objects or faces.
 Convert to Solid (CONVTOSOLID) - Converts 3D meshes
and polylines and circles with thickness to 3D solids.
 Convert to Surface (CONVTOSURFACE) - Converts objects
to 3D surfaces.
 Smooth, Optimized (SMOOTHMESHCONVERT = 0) -
Creates a smooth model. Coplanar faces are optimized, or
merged.
 Smooth, Not Optimized (SMOOTHMESHCONVERT = 1) -
Creates a smooth model. Original mesh faces are retained in the converted object.
 Faceted, Optimized (SMOOTHMESHCONVERT = 2) - Creates a model with flattened faces.
Coplanar faces are optimized, or merged.
 Faceted, Not Optimized (SMOOTHMESHCONVERT = 3) - Creates a model with flattened faces.
Original mesh faces are retained in the converted object.

II.1.3 3D Rendering Workflow

Lights and materials can be added to a 3D model before a photorealistic image is

rendered with the program's renderer.
The following outlines the basic process of setting up a 3D model and rendering a
photorealistic image from a scene.

TASK RELATED COMMANDS

1. Create a 3D model containing the objects 3DFACE, 3DMESH, BOX, CONE, CYLINDER, EDGESURF, EXTRUDE,
to be rendered with 3D solids, surfaces, LOFT, MESH, PFACE, PLANESURF, POLYSOLID, PRESSPULL,
meshes, and 3D faces. PYRAMID, REVOLVE, REVSURF, RULESURF, SPHERE, SURFBLEND,
SURFNETWORK, SURFOFFSET, SURFPATCH, SWEEP, TABSURF,
TORUS, WEDGE

VIEW
2. Define the views of the 3D model to
render.

Use named views for consistency and to

make switching views easier.

3. Assign a background to the current view. BACKGROUND, VIEW

4. Create materials to be attached to 3D MATBROWSEROPEN, MATEDITOROPEN
objects.
5. Attach materials to 3D objects directly or MATERIALASSIGN, MATERIALATTACH
by layer.
6. Add user-defined lights or use default DISTANTLIGHT, FREESPOT, FREEWEB, LIGHT, POINTLIGHT,
lighting. SPOTLIGHT, TARGETPOINT, WEBLIGHT, RENDEREXPOSURE
Note: The LIGHTINGUNITS system
variable must be set to 1 or 2.
Enable image-based lighting as an alternative

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TASK RELATED COMMANDS

to default lighting, or to fill an entire scene

with light and eliminate dark areas.

7. Optionally, enable and define settings for SUNPROPERTIES

the Sun & Sky based lighting when rendering
indoor or outdoor architectural scenes.
Note: The LIGHTINGUNITS system
variable must be set to 1 or 2.

8. Set the Low render preset current. RENDERPRESETS

9. Render a region of the 3D model to test the RENDERCROP
attached materials and lighting.
10. Adjust the materials and lighting in the
scene based on the results of the test
rendering.
11. Set the rendering environment and RENDEREXPOSURE
exposure settings.
12. Create another test rendering; make any
desired changes to the materials, lighting,
and general rendering environment settings.
13. Set a render preset with the best RENDER, RENDERPRESETS
rendering quality desired current and create
the final rendered image.
14. Save the rendered image to a raster image RENDER, SAVEIMG
file.

III. AUTOCAD 3D ROOF DESIGN EXAMPLE

III.1 ROOFING
EXTRUDE THE POSTS BY 3300 & 6600
Command: EXTRUDE
Select objects to extrude: pink front posts and enter.
Specify height of extrusion or
[Direction/Path/Taper Angle] <900.0000> : 3000

EXTRUDE THE BEAMS BY -300

Command: EXTRUDE

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Select objects to extrude: pick all beams and enter.

Specify height of extrusion or
[Direction/Path/Taper Angle] <900.0000> : -300

3D FACE

3DFACE creates a three or four-sided surface anywhere in 3D space. You can specify different Z coordinate
values for each corner point of a 3D face. After entering the first point, enter the remaining points in a natural
clockwise or counterclockwise order to create a normal 3D face. If you locate all four points on the same plane ,
AutoCAD creates a planar face that is similar to a region project. When you shade or render the object, planar object,
planar faces the filled. AutoCAD repeats the third point and fourth point prompts unti you press ENTER.

III.2 CREATION OF GUTTER AND MOULDING

1. Command: POLYLINE and trace the roof line.
2. Command: OFFSET
Distance: 1000

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Then pick gutter line and click inward.

3. Command: MOVE and select the Gutter Line, move it along Z axis with a
distance of 6000and 3000.
4. Command: POLYLINE
Locate at the corner point of gutter line, create the shape of the gutter and
EXPLODE the gutter profile.
5. Command: SWEEP and select the profile and enter select path.
6. CREATE ANOTHER PROFILE FOR MOULDING ON THE SECOND FLOOR
LINE.

REFERENCES

 Autodesk AutoCad 2016 Help Center

 MicroCadd Institute Inc. Handbook Manual
 AutoCad 3D Tutorials By Kristen S. Kurland PDF File

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