parametric or contraint based

I started learning autocad recently and unfortunately I am learning it
after learning I-Deas.(So i am looking for the features in autocad
which are present in IDeas )
I have some doubts regarding autocad.I know its a drafting package and
not a design package like IDeas so there is ought to be some
limitation while working in autocad.( like rich set of solid modeling
feature found is design softwares.)
does autocad allow to change the dimensions of a object and then does
it reflect the change after updating that drawing?
or in simple sentence does autocad offer parametric or constraint
based drawing?
If yes can someone give me the syntax of commands for that.

Thanking you in anticipation,

regards,
Yogesh P Joshi

 

Sorry, you are using the software for everybody and all purposes in
drafting. No parametrics here. But then again, ideas wouldn't be
very good to do a plant layout either.

 

yogesh wrote:
....(clip)...

Dimensions in AutoCAD are normally "associative" (unless you turn off
associativity), but that is not the same as "associative" in parametric
design, Yogesh. What you must TYPICALLY do in AutoCAD is to Stretch
(AutoCAD command) your entities into proper position. In using the
Stretch command you need to include the DEFPOINT(s) of one end of the
dimension(s) in question. By "include" I mean the DEFPOINT has to be
selected in the Window (normally a Crossing Window) along with the
entities you want to move. As the entities are moved, the DEFPOINT(s)
move with them and the associative dimension(s) change(s) to match.
Typically also you specify the distance you want the entities (and
included dimensions) to stretch by using the format @deltaX,deltaY (if
you're just doing 2D drawing). You can also use a polar format as
@distance<angle.

Amazing, isn't it, that so many companies continue to insist on using
AutoCAD even for things like machine design? It's insane to cripple
your designers and even more insane to pay thousands (or even hundreds)
for such limited capability, but that's what a lot of companies are
still doing. Myopic management!!

Mark 'Sporky' Stapleton
Watermark Design, LLC
http://www.h2omarkdesign.com

 

You need an additional application like Mechanical Desktop to do this.

Juergen