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| Friday, February 15, 2008 |
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AutoCAD - Using the UCS (User Coordinate System)
By Seth_Emery @ 12:54 PM :: 289 Views ::
6 Comments ::  :: All, How-To, Seth Emery
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One of the most simple, but likely one of the most useful ways to use the UCS for drawing countertops, is rotating the UCS to an object (usually a profiled edge).
Let's say that I am drawing an L-shaped top with a sink cutout on one leg of the L and a cooktop cutout on the other leg of the L. I would rotate the edge with the sink cutout true to 0° (see the previous blog for how to do this). This allows you to move the sink cutout perpendicular to the profiled edge that is aligned with 0°. Now, there is the other leg of the L with the cooktop cutout. Typically, the inside corner is not going to be square, so that edge will not be aligned with 90°. This is where the UCS->Object command comes in handy.
Using UCS->Object:
- Enter "ucs" -> "ob" for the UCS->Object command.
- Select the line that you want to place an object parallel/perpendicular to (in this case, the edge of the L-shaped top that is not aligned with 0° or 90°).
- Note how your UCS icon has rotated. The direction of the axes will determine how you enter coordinates.
- Draw and/or move the object(s) (the cooktop in this case).
- Enter "ucs" -> "w" to go back to the WCS (World Coordinate System), which is what you are typically in when drawing 2D objects.
I use this for inserting blocks, drawing objects, lining up digitizing seams, etc. Hopefully you find it useful.
About the Author: Seth Emery is a CAD Drafter/CNC Programmer for Henry H. Ross & Son, Inc. in Lititz, Pennsylvania. H.H. Ross specializes in the fabrication and installation of solid surface, granite, and engineered stone countertops in residential and commercial applications. Seth can be reached at seth77@ptd.net Visit the H.H. Ross website at http://www.hhross.com |
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| Comments |
 By
Jon @
Monday, February 18, 2008 3:30 PM
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Seth you have done it again!
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By
Seth_Emery @
Monday, February 18, 2008 4:13 PM
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Thanks for the compliments Jon, and thanks also to Eric and Gordon S. for the compliments about my previous blog entry. I am going to be submitting some more blog entries about commands and methods I have learned in AutoCAD that have made me more efficient over the past few years. Hopefully they will benefit you all. AutoCAD is so much more powerful than I will ever be able to take advantage of, but I want all of us to be able to use it to the max of our needs.
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By
diggles2003 @
Monday, February 18, 2008 7:14 PM
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Seth, could you not just rotate your cooktop or other block using the Rotate Reference command, or is there a benefit that I am unaware of by changing my UCS?
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By
Seth_Emery @
Monday, February 18, 2008 8:09 PM
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Diggles,
That's what I did before I found out about UCS->Object. I never do that anymore, because it is so quick to use the UCS and WCS. I use the UCS and UCS II toolbar icons to switch back and forth most of the time.
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By
mrfixit266 @
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 3:27 PM
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Seth, I also have gained speed dramatically over the last year just learning quick tricks. One of my favorites is the bo command. It sucks having to pedit everything... the bo command made things very quick.
Keep the tips coming. The ucs thing was great. It will definatly help me out.
I do have a question. I set a vanity sink on the drawing. My faucet is 8" widespred. I set my center hole. How do I offset 4" but follow the contour of the sink?
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By
Seth_Emery @
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 4:44 PM
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Travis,
That's great that you have increased your efficiency in AutoCAD. I learned the basics in school, but have spent plenty of evening hours learning the advanced features and tricks.
Thanks for reminding me about the bo command. I think there is some info about it in a post, but I'll do a blog entry on it here sometime.
About the 8" faucet centers, I move the center hole to where it needs to be, measure the distance from the cutout to the "bottom" quadrant of the center hole, offset the cutout that distance, copy the center hole 4" to the left and right, and then move the two outside holes down until the holes line up with the offset line.
Have a good evening,
Seth
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