The Rotate command

As the name suggests, the Rotate command can be used to rotate an object about a point. In this case, I will use a door symbol to explain the command, which is shown here:

Figure 2.52: A door symbol used for the Rotate command

The Rotate command rotates the selected object from its base point and you can rotate the object from its original angle or also by using a reference angle. In the following sections, we will discuss all the methods for using Rotate commands. Let's start with the simple rotate feature.

Simple Rotate

Currently, the door is horizontal and we can rotate it to change its rotation angle with respect to its current angle, which is 0 degrees, as the door is horizontal:

Figure 2.53: The Rotate command in the Modify panel

To rotate this door with respect to its original angle, we will perform the following steps:

1. Select the Rotate command from the Modify panel or use its command, ROTATE.
2. The command line will prompt you to select the objects. Click on the door to select it and press Enter.
3. Now, the command line will prompt you to specify the base point. Click on the lower-left corner of the door as the base point. The base point will become the pivot point of the rotation and it will remain fixed; the door will rotate about that point.
4. Now, the command line will prompt you to specify the angle of rotation. Type 30 and press Enter.

The door will rotate to an angle of 30 degrees, with respect to the current angle of 0 degrees, and the final door should look like this:

Figure 2.54: The door symbol rotated to an angle of 30 degrees

In a similar way, you can specify different base points and rotation angles to get different results. The Copy option, which shows up when you select the base point in the rotate command, will let you rotate a copy of the original drawing:

Figure 2.55: The Copy subcommand in the Rotate command line

To use the Copy option, type C when the command line appears as in the previous screenshot and press Enter. This will select the Copy subcommand from the command line. You can also click on the highlighted Copy text from the command line to select this option.

Now, if you rotate the door, you will get a copy of the original door and the original door will also remain in its place. After using the Copy option in the preceding example, and a rotation angle of 90 degrees, we ended up with two doors that look like this:

Figure 2.56: The door symbol rotated by 90 degrees with the Copy subcommand selected

When an object is at any known angle, it is easy to rotate it to any other angle, but if your object is at an unknown angle and you still want to rotate the object to any known final angle, then you can use Rotate with the Reference option, which we will discuss next.

Rotate with Reference

In the previous case, the door symbol was at an angle of 0 degrees (perfectly horizontal) and hence, its rotation angle can be specified pretty easily. But let’s now take the case of this window symbol. It is inclined to an unknown angle and so, to rotate this to any specific angle, we will use the rotate with reference option:

Figure 2.57: A window symbol inclined to an unknown angle

Here, the window symbol is inclined to a random angle with respect to the horizontal axis. Now, if you want to rotate this window symbol so that it becomes perfectly horizontal, then you need to use the Reference subcommand of the Rotate command.

To do this, I will once again start with the Rotate command:

1. Type RO and press Enter to start the Rotate command or click its icon in the Modify panel of the Home tab.
2. Select all the objects that make the window and press Enter.
3. Click on the A point to specify the base point.
4. Select the Reference option from the command line, or type R and press Enter to select the Reference option.
5. Now, you need to specify the reference angle and in this case, we will specify it by clicking on A and then the B point.
6. Now, the command line will prompt you to specify the angle. Type 0 and press Enter.

You will notice that the window will now become horizontal; that is, its angle will now be 0 degrees, as in the following diagram:

Figure 2.58: The window symbol after rotating it with respect to the reference

In this case, by specifying the reference angle, you can make AutoCAD rotate the drawing to any specific angle with respect to the positive side of the X axis, even when the angle to which the object is inclined is unknown.

The next modify command that we will discuss is Fillet and this command lets you add rounded corners. It may look like a tool that can make subtle changes to the drawing, but you will find it pretty useful as it not only makes rounded edges, but it also has other sets of useful features, which we will discuss in the next section.