Starting with Autodesk Map 3D

Introduction

Currently we are using Autodesk Map 3D at the faculty of Architecture. Map 3D is an AutoCAD Plus. To be able to use it properly, AutoCAD-style, you have to make some changes before you can start.

Starting Autodesk Map 3D

The exact location in the Start menu may vary from semester to semester. It's probably somewhere in either an Autodesk, or Engineering folder under Programs in the Start menu.

The Interface is probably in Map 3D mode.

Menu and Toolbar Layout

First we're going to change the menu layout.

Go to View > Menu/Toolbar Layout > Map Classic

The layout will change and a couple of toolbars will appear in the center of the screen. You can safely close these new toolbars as well as the Map Explorer window; we won't need these functions.

Skin

Autodesk Map 3D may be set to some fancy-looking silver skin. If so, we need to change this, because it's terribly slow and bound to crash.

Only if you have the 'Silver' skin as shown in the image at the left instead of the default windows style, shown at the right, you need to change the skin:

Type the command MAPSKINMAP on the command line (the white input bar at the bottom of the Autodesk window):

Background Color

Sometimes, the background color is set to blue, which is considered to be inconvenient by most AuotCAD users - most people prefer a black background. If so, you can change the background color:

Go to Tools > Options A dialog pops up. Go to the Display tab, click on the Colours button and then on Default All.

File Template

When you start a new drawing (File > New), make sure you use the acadiso.dwt template.

This ensures that you're using the proper document setup.

Units and Precision

For architecture, its customary to setup your drawing in millimeters. Ensure that your drawing is setup properly:

Go to Format > Units:

• set Units to millimeters
• set Length Type to Decimal
• set Length Precision to 0

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You should now be all set to create your architectural drawing in AutoCAD.