Whether you just started using AutoCAD, or you are already an experienced user, you

are likely not fully aware of all user interface elements. The same applies to AutoCAD
commands. Let us review the user interface elements in AutoCAD 2018 as well as
some AutoCAD commands that can give you a shortcut that will improve your workflow.
AutoCAD Interface
Application Menu
This is the first thing you see on launching AutoCAD, located in the far left corner at the
top of the screen. It is represented by a big red “A” button with a downward-facing black
arrow. Single-clicking this button opens a drop-down menu that contains some number
of the same options in the quick access toolbar, and more. More importantly, it contains
links to the most recently opened drawings and sheet sets. With the click of a button,
you can change this to a list of currently open drawings. Double-clicking the application
menu is not advised unless you mean to close the AutoCAD application.

Another feature of the Application Menu is the Search Commands part. Here you may
type the full name or partial name of AutoCAD commands you are not sure of, and
AutoCAD will carry out a search for related commands in the menu. The figure below
shows the results you get when you type ‘poly’ in the Search Commands part.
Quick Access Toolbar (QAT)
This is next to the application menu at the top of the screen in the title bar. The quick
access toolbar (QAT), by default, contains icons for a number of commands, such as
New, Open, Save, SaveAs, Undo, Plot, and Redo. Like most user interface elements, it
can be customized to meet the user’s desires. The figure below shows a highlighted
QAT.
Ribbon
The ribbon is a user interface element that contains various AutoCAD commands
arranged in panels and tabs. The tabs are quite powerful.  They have panels of
commands as well as options that relate to any task at hand. For instance, if you select
a HATCH object, a contextual tab appears. The tab contains a Hatch editing command
that appears automatically.

In-Editor elements
These are elements found inside the drawing panel. The user can control their visibility.
In the upper left corner are the viewport controls that allow the user to alter the view and
visual styles. The ViewCube, Navigation bar, and the UCS icon are positioned as shown
in the figure below.
Status Bar
At the bottom of the screen, is the Status Bar.  It contains only icons. Several icons, by
default, are not enabled, but the user can decide to turn on some of them.
The figure below shows a status bar, with an expanded control icon on the far right, to
show you the other available icons.
When you hover the cursor over any icon, you will find out its purpose. The gray ones
mean the toggle is off, and blue means the toggle it on.
File Tabs
File tabs give access to all open documents. Each document that is open has a tab.
Left-clicking on a tab makes it the currently open document. Right-clicking on a tab
gives access to more options, including Save As and Close. The tab that has a plus
sign allows the user to open a new document. File Tabs are located just below the
Ribbon. The figure below shows three File Tabs.

Layout Tabs
Layout tabs give access to different Model Spaces of each Layout in any given
document. Left-clicking on a tab makes it the current open layout. Right-clicking on a
tab gives you access to more options that include Print, Move, or Rename. The tab that
has a plus sign allows the user to create a new layout. Layout Tabs, by default, are
located at the bottom of the drawing panel below the command line, in the area around
the status bar.

Drop-Down Menus
A drop-down menu is a top-level name that is clickable. On left-clicking, the menu
reveals a list of commands or sub menus below it. When a command is selected, the
menu vanishes. An example of a drop-down menu is shown in the figure below.

Toolbars
Toolbars are flat panels containing buttons or drop-down lists. Each button has an icon
and macro that performs either a command or a macro. The figure below shows two
toolbars.

Command Line
This is a palette in which you can input command names. When docked, it has a fixed
number of visible lines. When floating, the command line can expand to show more
data. The figure below shows an example of a floating command line:
There are many other pallets apart from the command line such as Drawing Recovery
Manager, Quick calculator, Materials Browser, and so forth.
I cannot exhaust all the elements in the AutoCAD interface but the ones I have
described can help you start understanding the various elements that you see on the
user interface of AutoCAD.

Using Button Functions of a Mouse

Mouse Controls in AutoCAD
The computer mouse has an important role in AutoCAD. There are three essential parts
of a mouse, namely, the left button, right button, and a scroll wheel.
The image of a mouse displaying its three basic parts is shown in the given image:
 The above image displays the role of each part of a mouse.
Scroll Button
The scroll button in AutoCAD performs two functions, which are given below:
1. ZOOM
When we scroll up the button, it 'zoom out' the screen. When we scroll down the
button, it 'zoom in' the screen. We can also perform this task by using other commands.
There are two ways to perform this task using the commands, which are discussed
below:
a. Right-click on the drawing screen of the AutoCAD. A box will appear as the given
image:

Select the Zoom option is marked in the above image.

 

The zoom button   will appear on the screen. We need to continue to press the left
button of the mouse and drag up to zoom in and drag down to zoom out.
b. The second option is to select the ZOOM option given on the navigation bar, as
shown in the below image:
Click on the small arrow below the zoom button on the navigation bar. A box will
appear as shown in the below image:

You can select any option according to the requirements. The more you click on the
button, the more you zoom.
2. PAN
To implement PAN using the mouse, we need to press and hold the scroll wheel and
then drag. Some mouse comes with a center button allowing Panning without pressing
the scroll wheel. An example of such a type of mouse is CadMouse.
The PAN Button on the screen will appear as the given image:

When we select the area to PAN and drag, the symbol appears as the given image:
We can also control the Panning through the PAN Button on the navigation bar, which
will look like the below image:

After selecting the symbol, we need to click on the area to PAN, click on the left mouse
button, and drag it to a suitable area or space according to the requirements.
We can also select the PAN option by right-clicking on the screen of AutoCAD.
Left Button
The left button of a mouse in AutoCAD plays the most important role from selecting the
object to the completion of a drawing. In every step of creating either 2D or 3D drawings
or models, the role of the left button will be the prior option.
Right Button
The right button of the mouse in AutoCAD is used for customization; to increase
drawing productivity. The right button is also used as a shortcut menu. Let's understand
with an example.
When we right-click on the screen of the AutoCAD, a dialogue box opens as shown in
the given image:
The 'Options...' is widely used in the 2D and 3D drawings or models in AutoCAD. After
selecting, a dialogue box appears as shown in the below image:
The categories under the 'Options...' display the various profiles, which will be used
further for multiple purposes. The other purposes related to the right-click are discussed
below:
a) We can change the customization setting of Time-sensitive right-click. We can use
this method to set a quick click equal to the 'Enter'. If we right-click quickly before the
250 milliseconds duration, it works equivalent to pressing Enter. If we take a longer
time, then it will open the shortcut menu.
The steps to change such setting are listed below:

 Click on the Application menu on the top left corner shown as. 
 Select the 'Options' at the bottom of the box. A dialogue box will appear as
the given image:
 Select the 'User Preferences' and click on the option 'Right-click
Customization…' as shown in the above image. A dialogue box will appear
as the below image:
  You can turn on the setting according to the requirements. The default time is
250 milliseconds.
 Click on 'Apply & Close'.

b) We can also turn off the shortcut menus in the drawing area.
The steps are listed below:

 Click on the Application menu on the top left corner shown as.
 In the dialogue box click on 'Options', then select the 'User
Preferences' and clear the shortcut menus in the drawing area as shown in
the below image:
 Click on, OK.
Introduction to Toolbars
Introduction to Toolbars in AutoCAD
AutoCAD is a commercial aided designing software used for different designing
purposes. When you learn about AutoCAD very first you have to learn about the
toolbars. Herewith this tutorial, you will have good command on the toolbars and once
you have good command working on AutoCAD (Links to an external site.) becomes an
easy game for you.
In Toolbars, we learn about the different types of designing tools such as line command,
circle command, dimensions command, text command, and many more. Let us start our
tutorial with great enthusiasm and make AutoCAD an easy task for us.
Familiarize yourself with ToolBars of AutoCAD
Here we learn about all major tools of toolbars in a step by step manner. We also learn
about setting a limit in AutoCAD according to our drawing because it is a necessary part
of AutoCAD drawing. We will also have a look at how to restore ToolBars if it is not
showing in our working area.
Restoring of ToolBar
Here we have no toolbar on our workspace.

Step 1: For the restoring toolbar just clicks on the AutoCAD symbol i.e ‘A’ and click on
the options button.
Step 2: Then click on Profile and choose the blue highlighted option as shown in the
below image and click on the Reset button.

Step 3: After resetting, a dialog box will open as shown in the below image then click on
Yes or press OK.

Step 4: Your Toolbars will be restored now and you can see it here.

Setting Limit in AutoCAD

Step 1: Type the first three letters of the limit command i.e lim and it will automatically
show the limits option then choose it and press the Enter key it will ask the lower limit of
your workspace and the upper limit one by one.
Step 2: I will set a lower limit (0,0) Here I am considering units in mm. and after
applying the limit press Enter and again ‘z’ then Enter and again ‘A’ then Enter.
Step 3: And setting upper limit according to my drawing suppose (100, 100). Here I am
considering units in mm. and after applying limit press Enter and again ‘z’ the Enter and
‘A’ then Enter.

Now the workspace has been set according to our drawing.

Group of Tools
Let’s start our introduction to tools one by one. We have different groups of tools here
such as Draw, Modify, Annotation, etc. We will learn about all the groups.

1. Line Tool
Step 1: Take line command from draw group tool by simply left-clicking on it.
Step 2: Next, we will specify the first point from where we want to start our line by
simply clicking on the working area and then set a length of 60 mm- then press the
Enter key.

Step 3: For creating a straight-line turn ‘Orth On’ by pressing F8 on the keyboard or
click on the Orth option at the lower right corner.

Step 4: Here you can also draw a line with any angle and first give length then press
the tab key and give angles. I will give length 40 mm and angle 30 degrees and press
the Enter key.
Step 5: For exiting from any command press Enter or Esc key on the keyboard.
2. Polyline Tool
Step 1: Take polyline command to draw toolbar group and follow the same steps as we
did in the line command.

Step 2: The major difference in line and polyline is that the object created by line does
not work as one object but polyline makes one object as shown in the below image.

3. Circle Tool
Step 1: Take circle command from the Drag tool group.
Step 2: Now specify the first point.

Step 3: Give the radius and press the Enter key.

Step 4: We have different types of circle drawing options in the circle command you can
use them according to your requirement.
4. Arc Tool
Step 1: Arc command is used for creating an arc in different types of drawings.

Step 2: Take the arc command and specify the start point by clicking on any point.

Step 3: Give the value of the second point where you want the arc.
Step 4: Specify the endpoint or value where you can connect the arc or end the arc.

Step 5: We have different types of arcs here which we use according to our
requirements.

5. Rectangle Tool
Step 1: Take a rectangle tool from the draw tool group.
Step 2: Give the first corner from where you want to draw a rectangle.

Step 3: Then give length and press tab to give breadth according to you and press
Enter.

6. Pentagon Tool
Step 1: Take the pentagon command from the draw tool group. For drawing it first give
the number of sides press Enter key.
Step 2: Give the center point of the pentagon.

Step 3: It will ask now whether it is inscribed in a circle or circumscribed about circle,
select anyone according to your requirement.
Step 4: Give radius and press Enter to complete the command.

7. Ellipses Tool
Step 1: Take the ellipses tool from the draw tool group.
Step 2: Specify the center point and give the endpoint.

Step 3: Set the radius according to your requirement and left-click to complete the
command.
Modify Commands in AutoCAD Toolbars
We use this command group for creating any type of modification in the drawn objects.
Let’s take a look at some modified commands.
1. Move
Step 1: It is used for moving an object from one place to another place.

Step 2: For moving take the move command and select the object then press the Enter
key and give the base point.
Step 3: Give the direction and distance at which point you want to.

2. Copy
Step 1: It is used for copying the object. Take copy command and select object then
press Enter key and give base point.
Step 2: Give direction and click to leave the copied objects. You can make multiple
copies at a time.

3. Mirror
Step 1: It is used for making the mirror of the object.

Step 2: Take mirror command and select object then press Enter key.
Step 3: Give the mirror line then press the Enter key say Yes to delete the original
object or No if you don’t want to delete it.

4. Scale
Step 1: Take scale and select object then give base point.
Step 2: Give scale factor and press the Enter key.

5. Trim
Step 1: Take Trim
Step 2: Select cutting edge then press the Enter key.

Step 3: Select the trimming line and click to trim it.

6. Offset
Step 1: Take the offset and give base points.
Step 2: Press the Enter key to give direction and click to apply this command.

7. Erase 
Step 1: Select the Erase option.

Step 2: Select the object and press Enter.

Annotation Command Group
Let us look at the options in the Annotation command group.
Dimension Command
Select the object's first point and drag to the second point, click and drag in the vertical
direction to show dimension.

Layer Command
Go on layer property.

Create different layers.

Set colors and style.

Use them according to use by choosing them one by one at a time.

Final result.
Coordinate Systems
Coordinate System in AutoCAD
Using coordinates to specify locations can be a challenge in AutoCAD.  It helps to take
our time to understand the underlying concepts.
Catesian Coordinate System
The word “Cartesian” comes from the philosopher Descartes, who came up with the
idea.  One day Descartes was staring at a fly on the floor.  It occurred to him that he
could describe the fly’s location floor by noting its distance from two of the walls.
In this example, a floor is a coordinate plane.
   
Note the UCS icon.  It is composed of stubs sticking out in the x-direction, the y-
direction, and, the z-direction.  The z-direction is hidden if you are working in 2D, but
you can think of it as coming out of the page (or monitor, I suppose).  The place where
the stubs intersect is called the origin.
If you imagine the x-stub extending out indefinitely, this is the x-axis.  If you imagine
the y-stub extending out indefinitely, this is the y-axis.   Any point along the floor can be
given as (x, y), where x is a distance along the x-axis, and y is a distance along the y-
axis.

  

 Conventionally, the x-axis is horizontal, with a positive number signifying a

move to the right, and a negative number signifying a move to the left.
 Conventionally, the y-axis is vertical, with positive numbers signifying a move
up, and negative numbers signifying a move down.
In the status bar at the bottom of AutoCAD, there is a grid that can be turned on or off. 
Some people like the grid in ON status in order to facilitate counting along the x and y-
axis.  The F7 key is a quick way to toggle the grid on and off.  There is also a grid snap
tool (F9), which allows snapping to the grid.  Right-click on the grid or grid snap tools to
change their settings.  Another tool that can be used is ORTHO mode (F8), which
constrains cursor movement to the horizontal and vertical directions.

Coordinates, like object snaps, are a way of introducing more precision to our work.
Coordinates act as subcommands in AutoCAD (meaning you need another command
active for them to be meaningful).  As an example, you could start a command, such as
a line, and then practice typing in coordinates and pressing [enter] to place a vertex.
This exercise is fleshed out in the section below.
Absolute Coordinate Entry
Absolute coordinate entry is the default.  Absolute coordinate entry always counts from
the origin.  When drawing lines, AutoCAD is ready to place the next vertex wherever
you tell it to go:

1. Type L on the command line and press enter

2. Type 4,6 on the command line and press enter
3. Type 5,3 on the command line and press enter
4. Press enter to finish the Line command

  We just told AutoCAD we wanted a line starting at 4,6, and ending at 5,3.  It made a
segment between those two points.  The first point is 4 to the right and 6 up from the
origin.  The second point is 5 to the right and 3 up from the origin.  The line is the
shortest distance between those two points.
Relative Coordinate Entry
 
For relative coordinates, AutoCAD does not count from 0,0.  Instead, the reference point
is the previous point in the drawing.  Let’s draw another line, and see what it looks like
compared to the old one:

1. Type L on the command line and press enter

2. Type 4,6 on the command line and press enter
3. Type @5,3 on the command line and press enter
4. Press enter to finish the line command
AutoCAD recognizes the @ symbol as instructions to count using relative coordinates.
Notice the difference.  While both lines made thus far started at the same point, this
time, for the second vertex, AutoCAD counted 5 over and 3 up from the first vertex, and
made the line between those two locales.
Polar Coordinate System
 
Polar coordinates are named for their “pole”; the reference point to start counting from,
which is similar in concept to the origin.  Polar coordinates employ one radial distance
and one angle (by convention, the angle is measured counterclockwise from the x-
axis).  The angle signifies the direction, and the distance is how far to go in that
direction from the pole.
Polar coordinates in AutoCAD are given as R<Degrees, where:

 “R” is the radial distance

 “<” is the less than sign (but in this case represents the angle)
 “Degrees” is the value of the angle in degrees

Like Cartesian coordinates, polar coordinates are employed as a subcommand.

The analogue to ORTHO mode is POLAR tracking (F10).  Polar tracking restricts cursor
movement to specified angles.  The user can specify the acceptable angle increments
by right-clicking the icon

  
  
Relative coordinates also work with polar input.
Let’s delete the lines we drew and work via the command line again:
 

1. Type L on the command line and press enter

2. Type 4,6 on the command line and press enter
3. Type @5<60 on the command line and press enter
4. Press enter to finish the line command
The above line started at 4,6 (which is input in absolute Cartesian coordinates).  Since
the next line had the @ symbol, that means the previous point (4,6), became the pole,
or reference point for the relative coordinates.
We input the polar coordinates as @5<60, which means the length of the line is 5 and
the angle counterclockwise from the x-axis is 60 degrees.

Drawing Tools in AutoCAD

AutoCAD is a computer-supported design and drafting software developed and
published by Autodesk. It is used for 2d design, 3d design, drafting, and photorealistic
rendering. Many Architects, Civil engineers, Mechanical and Interior Designers use
AutoCAD for their designs purpose and floor plans.
All AutoCAD files save in DWG file format. Through this file format, we recognize the
AutoCAD files.
Top 12 Drawing Tools in AutoCAD
There are many tools that help to start a drawing in AutoCAD. Below we have described
only the top twelve tools that are necessary to know while your CAD Training. Let’s
have a look at these.

 Line
 Rectangle
 Polyline
 Circle
 Trim
 Extend
 Copy
 Mirror
 Rotate
 Eraser
 Offset
 Move

Let’s have a look at the complete explanation of these tools with appropriate examples:
1. Line
Shortcut Key: L
Line command draws a straight line from one point to another. With the help of lines, we
can create numerous line segments. All segments are separate to each other. Below
points are describing the process of the line:

 Go to the draw panel

 Click the online tool or enter its short command L
 Click a point anywhere on the screen

 Then specify a value of distance and press double enter

 If you want to create a line segment, click each time to specify a new point
from the previous point
Like as:

Note: For a straight line, ortho and snap should be on.

2.    Rectangle
Shortcut key: Rec
Rectangle command is used to create rectangles by two opposite corners. Below points
are describing the process of rectangle tools:

 Go to the drawing panel

 Click rectangle tool or enter short command Rec

 Click a point anywhere on the screen

 Enter D (for distances)

 First, give value to specify the length and press enter

  And then give a second value to specify the width and press enter

 Now we got a rectangle.

3.     Polyline
Shortcut key: Pl
It’s a single object that is composed of a line and arc segment. All segments are
connected to each other. Below points are describing the process of polyline tool:

 Go to the drawing panel

 Click polyline tools or enter the short command Pl
  Click a point anywhere on the screen

 Enter L for length

 Then give a value for length and press double enter

 After this process, your polyline will have created.

Note: You can also enter W and give any width of the line.
4.    Circle
Shortcut key: C
It draws a circle to the radius and center point. Below points are describing the process
of the circle tool:

 Go to the drawing panel

 Click on the circle tool or enter the short command C
 Click a point on the screen

 Enter R(radius) or d (diameter)

 Then give a specific value and press enter

 Through all the given steps, your circle will be making.

5.    Trim
Shortcut key: Tr
It is used for cutting unwanted lines and edges. We have described the process of the
trim tool below:

 Go to modify panel
 Click on the trim tool or short enter command tr

 Select the object ( clicking right button of the mouse) and press enter
  Then click any edge, if you want to remove and press enter

6.    Extend
Shortcut key: Ex
Extend command is used to meet two lines or edges. Below points are describing the
process of extend tool;

 Go to modify panel
 Click extend tool or enter short command Ex

 Select object ( clicking right button of the mouse) and press enter
 Then click this edge which you want to extend and press enter

 After doing this your selected edges will extend

7.   Copy
Shortcut key: Co

 Go to modify panel
 Click copy tool or enter short command Co

 Click the right button on the mouse

 And Select the object
  Press enter
 Click on a base point of anywhere like midpoint and corner point

 Give a displacement value and press enter

or

 Put an object on the other side ( Pressing right click of a mouse) and then
enter
8.   Mirror
Shortcut key: Mi
It is used as a mirror of any object to specify the first point, second point (XY axis) of the
mirror line. Below described the process of mirror tool;

 Go to modify the tool

 Click on the mirror tool or enter the Mi command

 Click the right button of the mouse and select object

 Press enter
 Click on the base point of the object
  And click a second point in a straight line (Bottom end and lower end of the
line)

 Then press enter

 And your mirror copy image will be created on the other side.

Like this :
9.   Rotate
Shortcut key: Ro
Rotate command or tools are used to rotate an object around a base point and at a
certain angle. Below described the process of the rotate tool;

 Go to the modify panel

 Click on the rotate tool or enter the Ro command

 Click the right button of the mouse and select the object
 Press enter
 Click a base point
 Give an angle for rotation and press enter
 Through all the above process, your object will be rotating at a certain angle

10.   Eraser
Shortcut key: Era
If you want to remove or delete any object from drawing, the Eraser tool would be a
perfect option for you. Below described the process of the Eraser tool;

 Go to modify panel
 Click on the eraser tool or enter the Era command
  Click the right button of the mouse and select the object
 Press enter
 Then delete or erase your selected object

11.   Offset
Shortcut key: Off
The offset command is used to give a certain distance to lines and circles. Below
described the process of offset tool;

 Go to modify panel
 Click on the offset tool or enter short command off

 Give a specific value of distance and press enter

 Click the right button of the mouse and select the object or line
 And again click the second point
 Now your line or object will have a replace or copy according to a certain
value.

12.   Move
Shortcut key: M
Move command is used to move any object to the other side at a specialized distance.
Below described the process of move tool;

 Go to the draw panel

 Click on the move tools or enter the short command M
  Select the object and press enter
 Click on the base point and move objects in any direction

So, these are some important tools in AutoCAD which are necessary to know for every
CAD user whether the person is an architect, civil engineer, or mechanical designer. I
have introduced you to the top twelve tools that help to start a drawing in AutoCAD.
Object Snap Tools

Introduction

The Object Snaps (Osnaps for short) are drawing aids that are used in conjunction with other commands
to help you draw accurately. Osnaps allow you to snap onto a specific object location when you are
picking a point. For example, using Osnaps you can accurately pick the endpoint of a line or the center of
a circle. Osnaps in AutoCAD is so important that you cannot draw accurately without them. For this
reason, you must develop a good understanding of what the Osnaps are and how they work.

This tutorial describes the use of all the osnaps. There are a number of worked examples that
demonstrate Osnaps in use. Following these examples is probably the best way to understand the logic
of Osnaps and to get an idea of how they might be used in drawing practice. The tutorial also includes
sections on tracking and the use of point filters. If you just need information quickly, use the QuickFind
toolbar below to go straight to the information you need or select a topic from the contents list above.

Temporary Tracking Point Snap From Snap to Endpoint Snap to Midpoint Snap to
Intersection Snat to Apparent Intersection Snap to Extension Snap to Center Snap to
Quadrant Snap to Tangent Snap to Perpendicular Snap to Parallel Snap to Insert Snap to
Node Snap to NearestSnap to None Object Snap Settings

An Example

This simple example is to give you an idea of how Osnaps work. Follow the command sequence below to
draw a circle and then to draw a line from the center point of the circle to a point on the circle's
circumference at the 12 o'clock position.
To Draw the Circle

Command: CIRCLE

Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: (pick a point in the middle of the drawing
window)

Specify radius of circle or [Diameter]: (pick another point to draw the circle, the size is not important)

To Draw the Line using Osnaps

Command: LINE

From point: CEN (this is the short-cut for the Center Osnap)

of (pick point P1 on the circumference of the circle)

To point: QUA (this is the short-cut for the Quadrant Osnap)

of (pick point P2 on the circumference of the circle)

To point: Return (to end)

You have now drawn a line from the exact center of the circle to a point on the circle circumference
vertically above the center. The line is drawn with perfect geometric accuracy.

When you use Osnaps you need only pick a point that is near to the point required because AutoCAD
automatically snaps to the object location implied by the particular Osnap you use. Notice that when
you move the cursor close enough to an Osnap location, it is highlighted with an Osnap marker. Each
Osnap has a different marker. As you have already seen, the Center Osnap marker is a circle and the
Quadrant Osnap marker is a diamond. Notice also that when you move the cursor over a snap point the
cursor jumps to the snap location. This feature is known as Magnet.

One thing that often catches new users out is that when you want to snap to the center of a circle, the
cursor must pass over the circle's circumference. This is because the circle has no solidity, it is only an
outline.
Although you can get quite close to the result above by picking freehand you will never be able to pick
as accurately as you can using Osnaps. Many AutoCAD commands rely upon the fact that objects have
been drawn accurately and so you should always use Osnaps when you need to pick a point at a
particular location.

Object Snaps

Object Snap Flyout

There are four basic methods of accessing the Osnaps:

The Osnaps are available from a flyout button on the Standard toolbar, see illustration on the right.

The Osnaps are also available on their own Object Snap toolbar. If this toolbar is not already displayed,
you can display it using the TOOLBAR command, ViewToolbars… from the pull-down menu. When the
Toolbar dialogue box appears, simply check the box next to "Object Snap" in the toolbars list. Many
AutoCAD users work with the Object Snap toolbar permanently docked on their screen because it gives
one-click access to all of the Osnaps, making drawing much more efficient.

You can also access the Osnaps from the cursor menu. Hold the Shift key down on the keyboard and
right-click the mouse to bring up the cursor menu. The menu appears at the current cursor position.

Finally, you can also access the Osnaps from the keyboard by typing their abbreviated name. See the
exercise above and the sections below for details.

The main reason for this flexibility in using the Object Snaps is that they are used very frequently.
Experienced AutoCAD users will use Object Snaps all of the time because they are the only way to make
sure that the objects you are drawing are drawn accurately. You must practice using Object Snaps until
they become second nature.

There are thirteen Osnaps in all and although they are all useful in certain situations you will probably
find yourself using about half of them on a regular basis and the other half in special circumstances.
However, it's a good idea to get to know all of the Osnaps so that you can plan your drawing, knowing all
of the tools at your disposal. Sensible use of Osnaps is the best way to improve your drawing efficiency.

Each of the sections below is accompanied by a small screen-shot illustrating the Osnap in use. In each
case, drawing objects are shown in pale blue (cyan), the Osnap marker is shown in red, and the cursor
cross-hairs in white. The corresponding Snap Tip is also shown. Snap Tips appear if you let the cursor
hover over an Osnap location for a second or so and have a similar function to the toolbar ToolTips.

Endpoint

Endpoint

Toolbar Object Snap Snap to Endpoint

Pull-down Shift + Right Click Endpoint

Keyboard END (when picking)

The Endpoint Osnap snaps to the endpoints of lines and arcs and to polyline vertices. This is one of the
most useful and commonly used Osnaps.

Midpoint

Midpoint

Toolbar Object Snap Snap to Midpoint

Pull-down Shift + Right Click Midpoint

Keyboard MID (when picking)

The Midpoint Osnap snaps to the midpoints of lines and arcs and to the midpoint of polyline segments.

Intersection

Intersection

Toolbar Object Snap Snap to Intersection

Pull-down Shift + Right Click Intersection

Keyboard INT (when picking)

Extended Intersection

The Intersection Osnap snaps to the physical intersection of any two drawing objects (i.e. where lines,
arcs or circles, etc. cross each other) and to Polyline vertices. However, this osnap can also be used to
snap to intersection points that do not physically exist. This feature is called the Extended Intersection
(see the illustration on the right). To use the apparent intersection feature, you must pick two points to
indicate which two objects should be used.

Apparent Intersect

Apparent Intersect

Toolbar Object Snap Snap to Apparent Intersect

Pull-down Shift + Right Click Apparent Intersect

Keyboard APP or APPINT (when picking)

Apparent Intersection snaps to the point where objects appear to intersect in the current view. For
example, you may be looking at a drawing in plan view where two lines cross, as in the illustration.
However, since AutoCAD is a 3-dimensional drawing environment, the two lines may not physically
intersect. One line may be at ground level and the other maybe 10 meters or more above or below
ground level. As with the Intersection Osnap, Apparent Intersection also has an "Extended" mode.

Extension

Toolbar Object Snap Snap to Extension

Pull-down Shift + Right Click Extension

Keyboard EXT or EXTEN (when picking)

Extension

Arc Extension

The Extension Osnap enables you to snap to some point along with the imaginary extension of a line,
arc, or polyline segment. To use this osnap, you must hover the cursor over the end of the line you want
to extend. When the line end is found, a small cross appears at the endpoint and a dashed extension line
is displayed from the endpoint to the cursor, providing the cursor remains close to the extension. The
Snap Tip for Extension also includes the relative polar co-ordinate of the current cursor position. This
can be a useful guide for positioning your next pick point. The co-ordinate includes a distance from the
endpoint and the angle of the extension. In the case of the arc extension, the Snap Tip displays the
distance along the arc.

Center

Center

Toolbar Object Snap Snap to Center

Pull-down Shift + Right Click Center

Keyboard CEN (when picking)

The Center Osnap snaps to the center of a circle, arc, or polyline arc segment. The cursor must pass over
the circumference of the circle or the arc so that the center can be found. This often causes some
confusion for new users.

Quadrant

Quadrant

Toolbar Object Snap Snap to Quadrant

Pull-down Shift + Right Click Quadrant

Keyboard QUA or QUAD (when picking)

The Quadrant Osnap snaps to one of the four circle quadrant points located at north, south, east, and
west or 90, 270, 0, and 180 degrees respectively.

Tangent

Tangent

Toolbar Object Snap Snap to Tangent

Pull-down Shift + Right Click Tangent

Keyboard TAN (when picking)

The Tangent Osnap snaps to a tangent point on a circle. This osnap works in two ways. You can either
draw a line from a point to the tangent point (see illustration) or you can draw a line from a tangent
point, the latter is referred to as the "Deferred Tangent" snap mode.

Perpendicular

Perpendicular

Toolbar Object Snap Snap to Perpendicular

Pull-down Shift + Right Click Perpendicular

Keyboard PER or PERP (when picking)

The Perpendicular Osnap snaps to a point which forms a perpendicular with the selected object. As with
the Tangent Osnap, Perpendicular can be used to draw a line to a perpendicular point, as in the
illustration or from a perpendicular point, known as the "Deferred Perpendicular" snap mode.

Parallel

Toolbar Object Snap Snap to Parallel

Pull-down Shift + Right Click Parallel

Keyboard PAR or PARA (when picking)

ParallelThe Parallel Osnap is used to draw a line parallel to any other line in your drawing. In operation,
this osnap is slightly less intuitive than some of the others. To draw a parallel line, first, start the Line
command, specify the first point when prompted and then start the Parallel Osnap. Hover the cursor
over an existing line until you see the Parallel snap marker. Now, move the cursor close to a parallel
position and a dotted line will appear, indicating the parallel. You can now pick the second point of your
line.

Insert

Insert
Toolbar Object Snap Snap to Insert

Pull-down Shift + Right Click Insert

Keyboard INS (when picking)

The Insert Osnap snaps to the insertion point of a block, text, or image.

Node

Node

Toolbar Object Snap Snap to Node

Pull-down Shift + Right Click Node

Keyboard NODE (when picking)

The Node Osnap snaps to the center of a Point object. This osnap can be useful if you have created a
number of Points with the Measure or Divide commands. You could, for example, insert a number of
regularly spaced tree symbols (blocks) along a line by using the Node Osnap for the insertion point of
each block.

Tree symbols arranged along a Spline

The image above shows a Spline (cyan). The Measure command has been used to set Points (red) at
regular intervals and a tree symbol has been inserted with the Insert command at each Point location
using the Node Osnap.

Nearest

Nearest

Toolbar Object Snap Snap to Nearest

Pull-down Shift + Right Click Nearest

Keyboard NEA or NEAR (when picking)

The Nearest Osnap snaps to the nearest point on a drawing object. This Osnap is useful if you want to
make sure that a pick point lies on a drawing object but you don't necessarily mind exactly where it is
located.

Using the From Object Snap

The From Object Snap is a little more complicated than the other object snaps but it is well worth getting
to know because it can be very useful.

From

Toolbar Object Snap Snap From

Pull-down Shift + Right Click From

Keyboard FRO or FROM (when picking)

Line and Circle

The From Osnap can be used in conjunction with other osnaps or ordinary pick points and relative
coordinates to pick offset points. The From Osnap does not snap to object snap locations, rather it can
be used to snap to points at some distance or offset from an object snap location. Consider the following
example. Look at the illustration on the right. It shows a circle drawn on top of a line. It is quite difficult
to see how this circle could have been drawn accurately without the use of construction lines. However,
the From Osnap can be used to draw the circle without any construction lines. Follow the command
sequence below to discover how this is done.

To draw the Line

Command: LINE

Specify first point: (pick a point in the lower half of the drawing area)

Specify next point or [Undo]: @0,30 (a relative co-ordinate, 30 units above the first point)

Specify next point or [Undo]: Return (to end)

Line and Endpoint

To draw the Circle

Command: CIRCLE

Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: FROM

Base point: END

of <Offset>: @0,10 (this co-ordinate is a point 10 units above the endpoint)

Specify radius of circle or [Diameter] <10.0000>: 10 (a radius value of 10 ensures that the southern point
on the circle will touch the top of the line)

Your drawing should now look like the illustration above. Practice using the From Osnap until you are
quite sure how it works. Don't forget to prefix all co-ordinates with the @ symbol to let AutoCAD know
that you are entering a relative co-ordinate. The North Point Exercise (Links to an external site.)
demonstrates more uses of the From Osnap.

Running Object Snaps

Toolbar Object Snap Object Snap Settings

Pull-down ToolsDrafting Settings…

Keyboard DDOSNAP

Using the Object Snaps as described above can sometimes be a consuming process. Every time you want
to snap to an endpoint, you need to click on the Snap to Endpoint button. If you have a lot of endpoints
to snap to, this can become a little tedious. For example, when we used the Node Osnap to insert lots of
tree symbols, above, the Snap to Node button had to be clicked each time an insert point was picked.
Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to have osnaps running in the background so that you could snap
without having to invoke the snap tools explicitly? Well, the good news is that AutoCAD provides just
such a facility and it is called Running Object Snaps.

You may already have been using running object snaps without noticing it. When you first start
AutoCAD, a number of running object snaps are set by default. If you hover the cursor over an endpoint
while being prompted to specify a point, you may see the square osnap marker spontaneously appear. If
so, you have running object snaps set on.
Running object snaps can be configured using the Object Snap tab of the Drafting Settings dialogue box,
illustrated below. This tabbed dialogue box and also includes settings for Snap and Grid and for Polar
Tracking.

Osnap Settings Dialogue Box

The Drafting Settings dialogue box can be used to set one or more osnaps so that you don't need to keep
invoking them as you draw. For example, if your drawing requires the use of a number of Center and
Endpoint snaps, use the Drafting Settings dialogue box to set these two osnaps on by checking the box
next to their Check Boxesrespective names. Try setting some running osnaps now. From the pull-down
menu select ToolsDrafting Settings… and when the dialogue box appears, click on the Object Snap tab to
display the Object Snap settings. Check the boxes against the Center and Endpoint osnaps if they are not
already selected. Now, make sure that the "Object Snap On (F3)" box is checked as in the illustration on
the right. Click the "OK" button to confirm your settings.

The selected osnaps will remain running until you turn them off by deselecting them in the Osnap
Settings dialogue box. However, sometimes you may simply want to suspend the running osnaps
temporarily. To do this, click the OSNAP button OSNAP on the status bar at the bottom of the screen or
use the F3 key on the keyboard. This button acts as a toggle, so you just need to click it again to set
running object snaps back on. Try this now and notice that the OSNAP button appears "pushed in" when
toggled on and "popped out" when toggled off. This visual clue is useful because you can see at a glance
whether your object snaps are running or not.

Incidentally, you can also use the OSNAP button to launch the Drafting Settings dialogue box. Right-click
on the button and select "settings…" from the context menu.

None

Sometimes you may only want to suspend running osnaps for a single pick. In such situations, it is more
efficient to use the None Osnap. This osnap works in the same way as the others, so when you are
prompted to pick a point, use None to suspend all running object snaps for that pick only.

Toolbar Object Snap Snap to None

Pull-down Shift + Right Click None

Keyboard NONE (when picking)

The None Osnap is not an osnap in the true sense of the word. It is really an osnap utility but it can be
very useful when your drawing becomes complicated and it becomes impossible to pick the point you
need without snapping to some other point.

AutoSnap

Osnap Settings Dialogue Box

You may not have realized it but you have already been using the AutoSnap features. Using the Drafting
tab of the Options dialogue box, part of which is shown on the right, you can control all of the AutoSnap
features. By default, all features are turned on except for the aperture box (see below (Links to an
external site.)). You can easily toggle the Marker, Magnet and Snap Tip features on and off by checking
or unchecking their respective boxes. Notice that you can also adjust theQuadrant AutoSnap marker size
using the slider and you can change the marker color. The default marker color is yellow which works
well with the traditional black AutoCAD background but you may wish to change this if you prefer
working with a white background. The illustration on the left shows the Marker, Magnet and Snap Tip
features in action.

The Aperture Box

Aperture Box

You may have noticed the Drafting tab of the Options dialogue box also includes a slider that controls
the size of the "Aperture Box". The size of the aperture box determines how wide an area AutoCAD uses
to look for object snap locations. By default, the aperture box is not displayed. However, you can force
the aperture box to display by checking the "Display AutoSnap aperture box" option under AutoSnap
Settings. Each time you use an osnap to pick a point, the aperture box will appear at the center of the
crosshairs (as in the illustration above) to indicate the area AutoCAD uses to search for object snaps. In
general, the default size setting is perfectly adequate. It may be necessary to reduce the aperture box
size if your drawing becomes very complicated and it becomes difficult to easily select the required
osnap point. You can also control the aperture box size from the keyboard using the APERTURE
command. Use this command to set the object snap target height anywhere from 1 to 50 pixels. The
default value is 10.

Object Snap Cycling

Using object snaps is a great way to construct accurate drawings. However, when drawing becomes very
complex, it can be quite difficult to pick the exact point you want. This is particularly problematic if there
are a number of possible snap points in close proximity. Fortunately, AutoCAD has a little feature to help
in such circumstances. The aperture box, described above, controls the extent of the search for object
snaps from the current cursor position. However, it cannot help you select a particular snap point within
that area. The Object Snap Cycling feature allows you to cycle through all valid snap points within the
aperture area until you find the one you want. This feature only works when running object snaps are
turned on. However, it is not necessary for the aperture box to be displayed.

Once the snap marker appears, you can cycle through other local snap points by pressing the TAB key on
the keyboard. Each time TAB is pressed, the next snap point is highlighted along with the object or
objects to which it belongs. The illustrations above show just 3 of the valid snap points in this particular
arrangement of objects. Using this feature, you can be absolutely sure that you are selecting the point
you want, no matter how complex the arrangement of objects.

Using Temporary Tracking Points

Toolbar Object Snap Temporary Tracking Point

Pull-down Shift + Right Click Temporary track point

Keyboard TT (when picking)

Circumscribed Circle

Tracking is similar to the From Object Snap in that it can be used to avoid the necessity of drawing
construction lines in order to locate points. Consider the following scenario: You have drawn a rectangle
in AutoCAD. You do not know the exact size of the rectangle. You need to draw a circumscribed circle
i.e. a circle which just touches all four corners of the rectangle (see illustration on the right).
Conventionally the only way to accurately find the center point of this circle is to draw a construction
line from two diagonally opposite corners using the Endpoint or Intersection Osnaps. The center point
can then be found by snapping to the Midpoint of this construction line (see illustration on the left).
Tracking enables you to accurately locate the center point without drawing any construction lines.
Follow the command sequence below to find out how tracking works.

To Draw the Rectangle

Command: RECTANG

Specify first corner point or [Chamfer/Elevation/Fillet/Thickness/Width]: (pick a point)

Specify other corner point: (pick another point to draw the rectangle, the size is not important)

To Draw the Circle

Command: CIRCLE

Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: TT

Specify temporary OTRACK point: MID

of (pick the left side of the rectangle)

Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: TT

Specify temporary OTRACK point: MID

of (pick the bottom line of the rectangle)

Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: (move the cursor close to the circle center
location)

Centerlines appear through the two midpoint osnaps and the intersection of these lines is marked with a
cross (see the image below). When you see the cross, click your mouse button to pick.

Diameter/<Radius>: END

of (pick the top right corner of the rectangle)

The circle is now drawn and your drawing should look similar to the illustration above. As you can see,
the use of temporary tracking points can be incredibly useful and can really speed up your drawing
technique. Tracking, like the From Osnap can seem quite tricky to use at first but both tools are well
worth getting to know well since they can save you hours of drawing time.

Object Snap Tracking

Object snap tracking is to temporary tracking points what running object snap is to object snaps.
Essentially, it enables you to have track running in the background so that you need not to use
temporary tracking points. However, for object snap tracking to work, running object snaps must also be
defined and turned on.

You control the use of object snap tracking with the OTRACK button on the status bar OTRACK or with
the F11 key. Just like the other mode buttons on the status bar, the OTRACK button acts as a toggle,
switching object snap tracking on and off as required.

In order to demonstrate how useful object snap tracking and running object snaps are in combination,
let's try the rectangle and circle example again. First, we must ensure that the midpoint object snap is
set as a running object snap and that running object snaps are turned on. We must also turn object snap
tracking on.

You can check all three things at the same time, using the Drafting Settings dialogue box. Right-click on
the OTRACK button and choose "Settings…" from the context menu. Make sure that the options set in
your dialogue box are the same as those shown in the illustration above.

To Draw the Rectangle

Command: RECTANG

Specify first corner point or [Chamfer/Elevation/Fillet/Thickness/Width]: (pick a point)

Specify other corner point: (pick another point to draw the rectangle, the size is not important)

To Draw the Circle

Command: CIRCLE

Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]:

Move the cursor close to the midpoint of one of the vertical sides and hover there for a second or so.
The Midpoint osnap marker will appear and a small cross, indicating that a tracking point has been set.
Now, move the cursor close to the midpoint of one of the horizontal sides and hover. When a second
marker and cross appears, move the cursor close to the circle center position. Where the two tracking
lines intersect, a third cross appears (see illustration). Pick this point to specify the center of the circle.

Diameter/<Radius>: (move close to a corner and use the running endpoint osnap)

Notice that you were able to accurately locate the center point of the circle without using any
temporary construction lines and without even picking any temporary points. Object snap tracking is
probably one of the most useful tools that AutoCAD provides and it's now difficult to imagine life
without it.

Point Filters

The point filters are another set of tools that can save you lots of time by allowing you to specify the
third co-ordinate of any point picked in a 2D plane. For example, when you pick a point in plan view,
AutoCAD fixes the X and Y coordinates from the cursor location. The Z coordinate is automatically set to
zero or the current elevation value. Using a.XY (dot x y) filter, you can force AutoCAD to prompt you for
a Z value. By this method, it is possible to draw objects in 3D space whilst viewing your drawing in the
plan. Although there are six-point filters in all, you will most likely find the.XY point filter of most use.
This filter is particularly useful for specifying target and camera locations when setting up perspective
views with the DVIEW command.

Fillet, Trim and Offset

FILLET (F)
Rounds or fillets the edges of two 2D objects or the adjacent faces of a 3D solid.

 Find
A round or fillet is

 an arc that is created tangent between two 2D objects.

 a curved transition between two surfaces or adjacent faces on a 3D solid.

In this example, an arc is created tangent to the selected lines, which are trimmed to
meet the endpoints of the arc.
Create 2D Fillets
A round or fillet can be created between two objects of the same or different object
types: 2D polylines, arcs, circles, ellipses, elliptical arcs, lines, rays, splines, and xlines.
If the two selected objects are on the same layer, the arc defined is created on that
layer. Otherwise, the arc is created on the current layer. The layer affects object
properties including color and line type.
The following prompts are displayed when creating a 2D fillet.
First Object
Select the first of two objects or the first line segment of a 2D polyline to define the fillet.

Second object or shift-select to apply corner

Select the second object or line segment of a 2D polyline to define the fillet.
You can also hold down the Shift key before selecting the second object or line
segment of a 2D polyline to extend or trim the selected objects to form a sharp
corner. While Shift is held down, a temporary value of zero is assigned to the
current fillet radius value.
If the selected objects are straight line segments of a 2D polyline, the line
segments can be adjacent to each other or separated by one other segment.
When the selected segments are separated by a segment, the segment that
separates them is removed and replaced with the fillet.
The direction and length of the arc created is determined by the points picked to
select the objects. Always select an object closest to where you want the
endpoints of the fillet to be drawn.
 When a circle is selected, the circle is not trimmed; the fillet drawn meets the
circle smoothly.

Note: Adding a fillet or round to a hatch boundary that was defined with individual
objects results in the removal of hatch associativity. If the hatch boundary was
defined from a polyline, associativity is maintained.
Undo
Reverses the previous action in the command.
Polyline
Inserts a fillet at each vertex of a 2D polyline where two straight line segments meet.
The fillets become new segments of the polyline unless the Trim option is set to No
Trim.

Select 2D polyline
Select the 2D polyline to insert fillets at each vertex.
If an arc segment separates two straight line segments, the arc segment is
removed and replaced with the fillet.
Note: Line segments that are too short to accommodate the fillet radius are not
modified.
Radius
Sets the radius for subsequent fillets; changing this value does not affect existing
fillets.
Note: A radius value of zero can be used to create a sharp corner. Filleting two lines,
rays, xlines, or line segments of a 2D polyline with a radius of zero extends or trims
the objects so they intersect.
Trim
Controls whether the selected objects are trimmed to meet the endpoints of the fillet.

 Trim. Selected objects or line segments are trimmed to meet the

endpoints of the fillet.
 No Trim. Selected objects or line segments are not trimmed before the
fillet is added.

The current value is stored in the TRIMMODE system variable.

Multiple
Allows for the rounding of more than one set of objects.
OFFSET (O)
Creates concentric circles, parallel lines, and parallel curves.

 Find
You can offset an object at a specified distance or through a point. After you offset
objects, you can trim and extend them as an efficient method to create drawings
containing many parallel lines and curves.

The OFFSET command repeats for convenience. To exit the command, press Enter.
The following prompts are displayed.
Offset Distance
Creates an object at a specified distance from an existing object.
Exit
Exits the OFFSET command.
Multiple
Enters the Multiple offset mode, which repeats the offset operation using the
current offset distance.
Undo
Reverses the previous offset.
Through
Creates an object passing through a specified point.
Note: For best results when you offset a polyline with corners, specify the
through a point near the midpoint of a line segment, not near a corner.
  Exit
 Multiple
 Undo

Erase
Erases the source object after it is offset.
Layer
Determines whether offset objects are created on the current layer or on the
layer of the source object.
TRIM (TR)
Trims objects to meet the edges of other objects.
Access Methods

Tool Set: Drafting tab > Modify panel > Trim. 

Menu: Modify > Trim.
Overview
There are two modes that you can use to trim objects, Quick mode and Standard
mode.
Quick Mode. To trim objects, select the objects to be trimmed individually, press
and drag to start a freehand selection path, or pick two empty locations to specify
a crossing Fence. All objects automatically act as cutting edges. Selected
objects that can't be trimmed are deleted instead.
Standard Mode. To trim objects, first select the boundaries and press Enter.
Then select the objects to be trimmed. To use all objects as boundaries, press
Enter at the first Select Objects prompt.

Note: The TRIMEXTENDMODE system variable controls whether the TRIM

command defaults to Quick or Standard behavior.
The following prompts are displayed.
Select cutting edges
Specifies one or more objects to be used as a boundary for the trim. TRIM
projects the cutting edges and the objects to be trimmed onto the XY plane of the
current user coordinate system (UCS).

Note: To select cutting edges that include blocks, you can use only the single
selection, Crossing, Fence, and Select All options.
Select objects
Specifies objects individually.
 Select all
Specifies that all objects in the drawing can be used as a trim boundary.
Object to Trim
Specifies the object to trim. If more than one trim result is possible, the
location of the first selection point determines the result.
 Shift-Select to Extend
Extends the selected objects rather than trimming them. This option provides
an easy method to switch between trimming and extending.
Cutting Edges
Switches from selecting objects to trim, to selecting the cutting edges.
Fence
Selects all objects that cross the selection fence. The selection fence is a
series of temporary line segments that you specify with two or more fence
points. The selection fence does not form a closed loop.
Crossing
Selects objects within and crossing a rectangular area defined by two points.
Note: Some crossing selections of objects to be trimmed are ambiguous.
TRIM resolves the selection by following along the rectangular crossing
window in a clockwise direction from the first point to the first object
encountered.
Mode
Sets the default trim mode either to Quick, which uses all objects as potential
cutting edges or to Standard, which prompts you to select cutting edges.
Project
Specifies the projection method used when trimming objects.
None
Specifies no projection. The command trims only objects that intersect with the
cutting edge in 3D space.
 UCS
Specifies projection onto the XY plane of the current UCS. The command trims
objects that do not intersect with the cutting edge in 3D space.

View
Specifies projection along the current view direction. The command trims objects
that intersect the boundary in the current view.

Edge
Determines whether an object is trimmed at another object's extrapolated
edge or only to an object that intersects it in 3D space.

Extend
Extends the cutting edge along its natural path to intersect an object in 3D space.
 No Extend
Specifies that the object is trimmed only at a cutting edge that intersects it in 3D
space.
Note: When trimming hatches, do not set Edge to Extend. If you do,
gaps in the trim boundaries will not be bridged when trimming hatches,
even when the gap tolerance is set to a correct value.

Erase
Deletes selected objects. This option provides a convenient method to
erase unneeded objects without leaving the TRIM command.
Undo
Reverses the most recent change made by TRIM.

Dimensioning
Dimensioning
Create several types of dimensions and save dimension settings by name.
Here is an example of several types of dimensions using an architectural dimension
style with imperial units.
Linear Dimensions
You can create horizontal, vertical, aligned, and radial dimensions with the DIM
command. The type of dimension depends on the object that you select and the
direction that you drag the dimension line.

The following illustration demonstrates one method for using the DIM command. Once
you start the command, select line (1), and then click the location of the dimension line
(2).

For the 8'-0" dimension below, you use another method. You start the DIM command,
click two endpoints (1 and 2), and then the location of the dimension line (3). To line up
the dimension lines point 3 was snapped to the endpoint of the previously created
dimension line.
Tip: If points 1 and 2 are not on the same horizontal line, press Shift to force the
dimension line to be horizontal. In addition, if the building or part being dimensioned is
at an angle, enter DIMROTATED for that case.
Use the DIM command to create dimensions that are parallel to an object by dragging
the dimension line at an angle rather than horizontally or vertically.

Tip: Because it is easy to accidentally snap to the wrong feature or to part of a

dimension object, be sure to zoom in closely enough to avoid confusion.
Modify Dimensions
For simple adjustments to dimensions, nothing is faster than using grips.
In this example, you select the dimension to display its grips. Next, click the grip on the
dimension text and drag it to a new location, or click one of the grips at the end of the
dimension line and drag the dimension line.
Tip: If the changes are more complicated than this, it might be faster simply to delete
and then recreate the dimension.
Dimension Styles
Dimension styles help establish and enforce drafting standards. There are many
dimension variables that can be set with the DIMSTYLE command to control virtually
every nuance of the appearance and behavior of dimensions. All these settings are
stored in each dimension style.
The default dimension style is named either Standard (imperial) or ISO-25 (metric). It is
assigned to all dimensions until you set another style as the current dimension style.
The current dimension style name, Hitchhiker, in this case, is displayed in the drop-
down list of the Annotation panel.

To open the Dimension Style Manager, click the indicated button. You can create
dimension styles that match nearly any standard, but you will need to invest time to
specify them completely. For this reason, you should save any dimension styles that
you create in one or more drawing template files.
Recommendations

 When you save a dimension style, choose a descriptive name.

 If applicable, check with your CAD manager regarding existing dimension
style standards and drawing template files.

Explode Command
Explode (X)
Breaks a compound object into its component objects.
Explodes a compound object when you want to modify its components separately.
Objects that can be exploded include blocks, polylines, and regions, among others.
The color, linetype, and lineweight of any exploded object might change. Other results
differ depending on the type of compound object you're exploding.
To explode an object

1. Click EXPLODE   or enter EXPLODE in the command line.

2. Select the objects to be exploded and press Enter.

For most objects, exploding has no visible effect.

Text Style and Font Style

1. Click Home tab Annotation panel Text Style.   Find

2. In the Text Style dialog box, do one of the following:

o To create a style, click New and enter the style name.

Note: Text style names can be up to 255 characters long. They can

contain letters, numbers, and the special characters dollar sign ($),
underscore (_), and hyphen (-).

o To modify an existing style, select the style name from the list of
styles.

3. Font. Under Font Name, select the font you want to use. TrueType fonts
display a TrueType icon in front of their names. 

o To assign an Asian-language font, select the name of an SHX font

file, check Use Big Font, and select an Asian-language big font.

4. Size. In the Height box, enter the text height in drawing units.
 5. Oblique angle. Under Effects, enter an angle between -85 and 85 in the
Oblique Angle box.

A positive value slants text to the right. A negative value slants text to the left.

6. Character spacing. Under Effects, enter a value in the Width Factor box.

Entering a value less than 1.0 condenses the text. Entering a value greater
than 1.0 expands it.

7. Annotative. Check this option so that any text using this style displays
uniformly at the same size or scale regardless of the scale of the view.

8. Specify other settings as needed.

9. To update the text of the current style in the drawing, click Apply.

10. Click Close.

DTEXT and MTEXT Command

DTEXT (DT)
Creates a single-line text object.

 Find
You can use single-line text to create one or more lines of text, where each text line is
an independent object that you can move, format, or otherwise modify. Right-click in the
text box to select options on the shortcut menu. While you are in the TEXT command:

 Click elsewhere in a drawing to start a new set of rows of single-line text

 Press Tab or Shift+Tab to move forward and back between the sets of single-
line text
 Press Alt and click a text object to edit a set of text lines

Once you leave the TEXT command, these actions are no longer available.
If TEXT was the last command entered, pressing Enter at the Specify Start Point of Text
prompt skips the prompts for paper height and rotation angle. The text that you enter in
the text box is placed directly beneath the previous line of text. The point that you
specified at the prompt is also stored as the insertion point of the text.
If the TEXTED system variable is set to 1, text created using TEXT displays the Edit
Text dialog box. If TEXTED is set to 2, the In-Place Text Editor is displayed.
You can enter special characters and format text by entering Unicode strings and
control codes.
Note: Text that would otherwise be difficult to read (if it is very small, very large, or is
rotated) is displayed at a legible size and is oriented horizontally so that you can easily
read and edit it.
The following prompts are displayed.
Start Point
Specifies a start point for the text object. Enter text in the In-Place Text Editor for single-
line text.
The Specify Height prompt is displayed only if the current text style is not annotative
and does not have a fixed height.
The Specify Paper Text Height prompt is displayed only if the current text style is
annotative.

Justify
Controls justification of the text.
You can also enter any of these options at the Specify Start Point of Text prompt.
Left
Left-justifies the text at the baseline, which you specify with a point.

Center
Aligns text from the horizontal center of the baseline, which you specify with a
point.
The rotation angle specifies the orientation of the text baseline with respect to the
center point. You can designate the angle by specifying a point. The text baseline
runs from the start point toward the specified point. If you specify a point to the
left of the center point, the text is drawn upside down.

Right
Right-justifies the text at the baseline, which you specify with a point.
Align
Specifies both text height and text orientation by designating the endpoints of the
baseline.
The size of the characters adjusts in proportion to their height. The longer the
text string, the shorter the characters.

Middle
Aligns text at the horizontal center of the baseline and the vertical center of the
height you specify. Middle-aligned text does not rest on the baseline.
The Middle option differs from the MC option in that it uses the midpoint of all
text, including descenders. The MC option uses the midpoint of the height of
uppercase letters.

Fit
Specifies that text fits within an area and at an orientation defined with two points
and a height. Available for horizontally oriented text only.

The height is the distance in drawing units that the uppercase letters extend from
the baseline. Designated text height is the distance between the start point and a
point you specify. The longer the text string, the narrower the characters. The
height of the characters remains constant.
TL (Top Left)
Left-justifies text at a point specified for the top of the text. Available for
horizontally oriented text only.

TC (Top Center)
Centers text at a point specified for the top of the text. Available for horizontally
oriented text only.

TR (Top Right)
Right-justifies text at a point specified for the top of the text. Available for
horizontally oriented text only.

ML (Middle Left)
Left-justifies text at a point specified for the middle of the text. Available for
horizontally oriented text only.

MC (Middle Center)
Centers the text both horizontally and vertically at the middle of the text.
Available for horizontally oriented text only.
The MC option differs from the Middle option in that it uses the midpoint of the
height of uppercase letters. The Middle option uses the midpoint of all text,
including descenders.

MR (Middle Right)
Right-justifies text at a point specified for the middle of the text. Available for
horizontally oriented text only.

BL (Bottom Left)
Left-justifies text at a point specified for the baseline. Available for horizontally
oriented text only.

BC (Bottom Center)
Centers text at a point specified for the baseline. Available for horizontally
oriented text only.

BR (Bottom Right)
Right-justifies text at a point specified for the baseline. Available for horizontally
oriented text only.
Style
Specifies the text style, which determines the appearance of the
text characters. The text you create uses the current text style.
Entering? lists the current text styles, associated font files, height,
and other parameters.

MTEXT (MT)
Creates a multiline text object.

 Find
You can create several paragraphs of text as a single multiline text
(mtext) object. With the built-in editor, you can format the text
appearance, columns, and boundaries.
After you specify the point for the opposite corner when the ribbon
is active, the Text Editor ribbon contextual tab displays. If the
ribbon is not active, the in-place text editor is displayed.
If you specify one of the other options, or if you enter -mtext at the
Command prompt, MTEXT bypasses the In-Place Text editor and
displays additional Command prompts.