AutoCAD

Floor Plan Creation (AutoCAD – Simple Steps)

1. Set Units

• Command: UN → Enter

• Units → Architectural

• Precision → 1/4

• Insertion scale → Inches

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2. Draw Outer Rectangle (House Boundary)

• Command: RECTANGLE

• Click anywhere, then type: @50',31' → Enter

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3. Draw Interior Walls (using Line tool)

• Command: LINE

• Track from corners (ensure Object Snap → Extension is ON).

• Example steps:

  • Up: 15'

  • Right: 12'

  • Down (etc.) … until boundaries complete.

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4. Add Wall Thickness (Offset)

• Command: OFFSET

• For exterior walls: 10" offset outward.

• For interior walls: 6" offset both directions.

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5. Clean Geometry

• Command: TRIM

• Remove overlapping/extra parts at intersections.

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6. Create Layers

• Open Layer Properties

• Add layers:

  • Door → Magenta

  • Window → Orange (or Blue)

  • Blocks → Cyan

  • Hatches → Green

  • Text → Yellow

  • Dimension → Pink

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7. Make Door Block

• Switch to Door layer.

• Draw rectangle: @3",3'

• Small rectangle: @3",6" → move to edge.

• Add arc (swing).

• Copy rectangle to other side.

• Mirror for variation.

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8. Make Window Blocks

Window 1:

• Rectangle: @5',6"

• Offset: 1" → up/down

• Copy line to midpoint

• Trim middle

Window 2:

• Rectangle: @6',10"

• Explode

• Offset: 2" both sides

• Copy line to midpoint

• Trim

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9. Convert to Blocks

• Command: BLOCK

• Name blocks:

  • Door1, Door2, Window1, Window2

• Pick point → select objects → OK

Floor Plan – Part 2 (Adding Blocks, Hatches, Text)

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1. Insert Door Blocks

• Use Copy tool → place door block at wall.

• Use Mirror to flip as needed.

• Use Rotate to align with wall.

• Delete extra/unneeded copies.

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2. Insert Window Blocks

• Copy window block → rotate to correct angle.

• Place inside walls (consider 10" wall thickness).

• Copy/move to multiple wall positions.

• Erase original unused blocks.

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3. Clean Geometry

• Use Trim to remove overlapping lines after inserting doors/windows.

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4. Save Drawing

• Save file → name it floorplan.dwg (or similar).

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5. Use Design Center for Interior Blocks

• Open with Ctrl+2 (or command: ADCENTER).

• Navigate to: en-us → Design Center.

• Common categories:

  • House Designer → Blocks: bathtub, toilet, sink.

  • Home Space Planner → Blocks: bed, dining set, lamp, plant, sofa.

  • Kitchens → Blocks: oven, refrigerator, double sink.

• Drag & drop blocks into drawing.

• Change to Blocks layer (if wrong color).

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6. Place Furniture Blocks

• Bedroom: bed + lamps + table.

• Toilet: toilet, bathtub, sink (rotate/move into position).

• Dining: dining set (rotate 90° if needed).

• Living Room: sofa, table (with fillet corners), TV, plants.

• Kitchen: sink, oven, fridge, slab made with Line + Trim.

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7. Add Hatches (Wall Thickness)

• Switch to Hatch layer.

• Command: HATCH → choose Solid pattern.

• Click inside wall cavities (each closed area).

• Close hatch creation.

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8. Add Text (Room Labels)

• Change Text Style:

  • Command: STYLE → Font: simplex.shx

  • Height: leave blank (set when placing).

• Layer: Text.

• Command: MTEXT → Draw text box → type room name.

• Set text height = 1'.

• Place and copy text to each room.

• Edit each copy to match room:

  • Bedroom 1, Bedroom 2, Toilet, Drawing Room, Dining, Kitchen, Air Vent, etc.

• Rotate/move text if needed for proper orientation.

✅ By this point, drawing includes doors, windows, furniture blocks, hatches, and text labels. Next step (in Part 3): add dimensions + plotting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n5AIkPvIjA

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Part 3 – Simplified Steps (Point-Form)

1. Add Dimensions

• Switch to the Dimension layer (pink).

• Use the DIMLINEAR command for straight measurements.

• Apply dimensions to key elements like wall lengths, room widths, etc.

• Adjust arrow size, text placement, or style if needed.

2. Set Up Layout and Viewports (Paper Space)

• Switch to a Layout tab (e.g., Layout1).

• Insert a Viewport (command: MV or MVIEW) to display your model space drawing.

• Adjust viewport scale to fit your floor plan (e.g., ¼″ = 1′-0″ or similar architectural scale).

• Lock the viewport to avoid accidental zoom/move inside it.

3. Add Title Block & Annotations

• Insert or draw a title block frame in paper space (with project details, scale, sheet number).

• Add annotation text for title, scale, author, date, etc., using Text layer formatting.

4. Plot/Print Settings

• Open Plot dialog (click Plot icon or PLOT command).

• Select your printer/plotter or choose "DWG to PDF" for digital output.

• Choose correct paper size (e.g., A3, A2 depending on layout).

• Set plot scale to 1:1 (paper space handles scale via viewport).

• Check plot window: ensure layout includes all content.

• Preview → print or save as PDF.

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Why These Steps Matter

This final phase ties all previous work—walls, blocks, hatches, text—into a presentable floor plan, ready for actual use or sharing.

✅ Adding Dimensions

1. Open Dimension Style Manager

   • Annotate → Dimensions → Dimension Style Manager

   • Copy an existing style (e.g., ISO-25 → New → Name it “DIM”).

2. Modify the Style

   • Symbols & Arrows → set arrowhead to Architectural Tick.

   • Text → text placement → Centered.

   • Primary Units → Unit Format → Architectural.

   • Fit → Adjust overall scale (e.g., 5) if dimensions look too small.

3. Place Dimensions

   • Switch to DIM layer.

   • Use Linear Dimension (DIMLINEAR) → click two points → place dimension.

   • Hide hatches temporarily if they block snap points (Lightbulb icon → HATCH off).

   • Add only essential dimensions (room sizes, wall lengths, openings, etc.) – avoid redundancy.

4. Add Notes

   • Use Text tool → e.g.,

     Exterior wall thickness = 10”
     Interior wall thickness = 6”

   • Place text on the TEXT layer (not DIM).

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✅ Preparing the Layout (Paper Space)

1. Switch to Layout tab (Layout1).

2. Delete default viewport (if any).

3. Page Setup

   • Right-click Layout → Page Setup Manager → Modify.

   • Printer: DWG to PDF.

   • Paper size: ISO A3 (landscape).

   • Plot area: Layout.

   • Save & Close.

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✅ Creating the Viewport

1. Layout tab → Rectangular Viewport → draw inside dotted plot margin.

2. Double-click inside viewport → set scale (e.g., 1:100, 1/4"=1'-0").

3. Lock viewport to prevent accidental zoom/pan.

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✅ Plotting (Printing)

1. Plot command (PLOT)

   • If you want colored output → Plot style = None.

   • If you want black & white → Plot style = Monochrome.ctb.

2. Preview → Save as PDF.

   • e.g., floorplan_color.pdf or floorplan_bw.pdf.

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👉 At this point you have a dimensioned + properly scaled floor plan in PDF, both in color and monochrome.