AutoCAD Basics: Orientation

Before you even start a drawing, you’ll need to get to grips with AutoCAD’s interface, which will
probably take 10-15 minutes. We’re only going to go through a basic orientation of AutoCAD, so it’s
important that you test out the interface thoroughly after you’ve completed our guide.
Like most software, AutoCAD comes with a basic ribbon toolbar containing drawing tools, modification
tools and controls. By default, it’s displayed across the top of the drawing window—you can choose to
display it vertically to the left or right of the window, or as a floating palette. The infocenter search bar is
located in the top right-hand corner, and can be used to display the communication center panel, product
updates and announcements. It’s also possible to receive information from any RSS feeds you subscribe
to.

You’ll find the command window at the bottom of the drawing window. There, you can execute a
command by typing in a command name and pressing Enter, or the Spacebar. For example, if you want to
draw a line, you could type LINE or L into the command window. It is possible to use keyboard
shortcuts, which we’ve previously discussed in our top tips and tricks for AutoCAD newbies.
We’ve also created an essential list of AutoCAD commands – the perfect place to get to grips with the
fundamentals.
For a more visual look at the AutoCAD interface, take a look at the image below.
 How does the mouse work?

Before You Start Drawing

There are a few steps you should take before you start a drawing with AutoCAD. Firstly, you should
ensure that you’re using the right unit measurements. Go to the big A in the top left-hand corner to bring
up the AutoCAD menu. Select ‘Drawing Utilities‘ > ‘Units‘. You then have the option to pick inches
(imperial) or millimeters (metric). Of course, AutoCAD does use other units, like feet, centimeters or
meters, but you should stick to either inches or millimeters to begin with.
Secondly, you should start customizing and exploring your Quick Access Toolbar (QAT). This can be
found by clicking on the drop down option next to the undo and redo buttons at the top of the toolbar.
You can add new tools to your QAT by right-clicking a tool and selecting ‘Add to Quick Access
Toolbar‘. Extra features include:
 More commands: this allows you to add commands from a list. You can use this menu to find a tool by
its command name.
 Show below the ribbon: if you need more space, this option will move the QAT below the ribbon which
makes it easier to access.
 Workspaces: if you’re using different workspaces, you’ll need to create different QATs for each, as you
can’t show two at once. Type ‘CUI‘ into the command window and hit Enter. You can create additional
workspaces by right-clicking and selecting ‘New Quick Access Toolbar’.
While you might not know which types of tools you’ll be using the most at first, it’s still a good idea to
check out the Quick Access Toolbar. Once you’ve gotten to grips with AutoCAD, you can then customize
your QAT to fully suit your needs. If you’re already at the stage where you need to customize your QAT,
take a look at the video below covering extra QAT tricks with Lynn Allen.
 Precision

When it comes to AutoCAD, everything requires

ultimate precision. You’ll start to notice this when you begin using AutoCAD’s drawing tools, some of
which will ask you to specify start points and end points. In some cases, you’ll be able to specify points
with just the click of your mouse. In other cases, however, you’ll need to specify points by using
coordinates. This is vital when you need extreme precision—for example, architects require everything to
be extremely accurate in their floor plans and blueprints.
There are three main coordinate systems that you’ll come across when drawing in AutoCAD:

 Absolute coordinates: all input points are specified using standard Cartesian coordinates. Command: x,y
[Enter].
 Relative coordinates: after you’ve entered your first point, your next point can be entered by specifying
the next coordinate relative from your first point. Command: @x,y [Enter].
 Polar coordinates: are used when you need to draw the next point at a specific angle and distance.
Command: @distance<angle [Enter].
AutoCAD also has a User Coordinate System (UCS), which is a moveable Cartesian coordinate system
that establishes the XY work plane, horizontal and vertical directions, and other geometric references. Of
course, this is a very simplified overview of AutoCAD’s coordinate systems. As with many other
AutoCAD tools, we recommend opening a blank drawing to test everything out. While it might seem
difficult at first, you’ll soon get to grips with it.
Geometry
Now onto the actual drawing! AutoCAD comes with a wide variety of basic geometric shapes that you
can use in your 2D sketches (we’ll cover 3D shapes in a later section). These objects range
from lines to circles and hatched areas. Needless to say, you can’t really complain about the selection.
You can use these objects by clicking on their icons, locating them in the toolbar, or by typing their
command into the Command window. We’ve included a short list of basic objects below—bear in mind
that there are countless more that you should check out after working your way through this guide.

Lines

Command/Shortcut: LINE / L
Location: Draw > Line
The Line command draws a straight line from one point to another. When you pick the start point of the
line, you need to specify the endpoint of the line segment on screen. You can either continue to specify
additional line segments or end the line there. If you want to undo a previous line, enter U at the prompt.
To end the command, you can press Enter or ESC, or enter C to close a series of line segments.

You can choose to pick the position of your lines by using your mouse to click on the screen. If you want
to be more precise, you can use coordinates instead. When you type LINE or L into the command window
and press Enter, you’ll be prompted to specify a point location by using coordinates.

Circle
Command/Shortcut: CIRCLE / C
Location: Draw > Circle > Centre, Radius
The Circle command draws a circle based on a radius and center point. The default command requires
you to specify a center point and a radius—usually on screen. If you enter CIRCLE or C into the
Command window, you’ll be prompted to pick an option where you can specify the center point or click a
highlighted command option.
Polyline
Command/Shortcut: PLINE / PL
Location: Draw > Polyline
A polyline is a connected sequence of line or arc segments created as a single object. You can use this
command to create open or closed polylines. These polylines can have a constant width or different
starting and ending widths. Once you’ve specified the first point of the polyline, you can use the Width
option to specify the width of all the subsequently created segments.

Rectangle
Command/Shortcut: RECTANGLE / REC
Location: Draw > Rectangle
The Rectangle command is used to draw a rectangle with sides that are vertical and horizontal. You can
specify the position and size of the rectangle by choosing two diagonal corners. Essentially, a rectangle is
a closed polyline that is automatically drawn for you by AutoCAD.

Hatch
Command/Shortcut: HATCH / H
Location: Draw > Hatch
A hatch is an object that covers an area with a pattern of lines, dots, shapes, solid fill color, or gradient
fill. When you start this command, the ribbon will display the ‘hatch creation’ tab where you can pick
from a variety of hatch patterns. After you’ve chosen your pattern and the scale, you just need to click
inside an area that’s enclosed by objects. After you’ve created the hatch, you can adjust the area or delete
any surrounding objects to create partial hatches.

If you like to learn things using a more visual approach, you should try out some YouTube tutorials.
There are many channels that cover AutoCAD basics and beginner tutorials—the tutorial below covers
AutoCAD’s interface and a few basic commands.
Modifying
Once you’ve gotten to grips with AutoCAD’s drawing tools, the next logical step is modification tools.
This particular category covers everything from a simple erase command to explode and fillet. If a
geometric object isn’t to your liking, you can use these modification tools to create something else
entirely.
Yet again, AutoCAD has a wide selection of tools on offer. There are simple tools that you’ll undoubtedly
be familiar with, including ‘move‘, ‘copy‘, ‘rotate‘ and ‘erase‘. These tools of course, are rather self-
explanatory—you’ll recognize them from a variety of other software. You can use these tools by clicking
on their icon, locating them by going to ‘Home‘ > ‘Modify‘, or by executing their command.
To give you a better look at the range of modification tools on offer, we’ve made a table of the top 10
modification tools. This table also includes icons, command shortcuts and a description of what they
do.

COMMAND ICON SHORTCUT ACTION

Trim TRIM / TR Trims object to a selected cutting

edge

Extend EXTEND / EX Extends object to selected boundary

edge

Offset OFFSET / O Offsets an object by a set distance

Explode EXPLODE / X Breaks object into its component

objects

Fillet FILLET / F Converts sharp edges into round

edges

Stretch STRETCH / S Stretches a selected object

Mirror MIRROR / MI Creates mirror image of selected
object

Array ARRAY / AR Creates a repeating pattern

Chamfer CHAMFER / Creates angled corner between two

CH lines

Dimstyle DIMSTYLE / D Creates and modifies dimension

styles