The Hitchhiker's Guide to AutoCAD

If you're new to AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT, this guide introduces you to the essential
commands that you need to create 2D drawings. It's also a great place to refresh your
memory if you just completed your initial training or if you use AutoCAD only occasionally.

1. Basics
Review the basic AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT controls.
2. View
Pan and zoom to different views in a drawing. View and edit your drawings from
remote locations.
3. Geometry
Create basic geometric objects such as lines, circles, and hatched areas.
4. Precision
Ensure the precision required for your models.
5. Layers
Organize your drawing by assigning objects to layers.
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6. Properties
You can assign properties such as color and linetype to individual objects, or as
default properties assigned to layers.
7. Modify
Perform operations such as erase, move, and trim on the objects in a drawing.
8. Symbols
Insert symbols and details into your drawings from commercial online sources or
from your own designs.
9. Layout
Display one or more scaled views of your design on a standard-size drawing
sheet called a layout.
10. Annotate
Create notes, labels, bubbles, and callouts. Save and restore style settings by
name.
11. Dimension
Create several types of dimensions and save dimension settings by name.
12. Print
Output a drawing layout to a printer, a plotter, or a file. Save and restore the
printer settings for each layout.

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Basics

Review the basic AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT controls.

After you launch AutoCAD, click New on the Start tab to begin a new drawing, or Open
to work on an existing drawing.

Drawing Tabs
The new drawing, Drawing1, starts on a new tab that's just above the drawing area. You
can click the tabs to switch between several open drawing files and the Start tab.

An asterisk (*) next to the drawing name indicates that the drawing needs to be saved.
A quick way to close any drawing is to click the X control on its tab.

Go ahead and experiment with starting and opening drawings, and switching between
the tabs. You can also drag the drawing tabs to reorder them.

The Ribbon
AutoCAD includes a standard tabbed ribbon across the top of the application. You can
access nearly all the commands presented in this guide from the Home tab. In addition,
the Quick Access toolbar shown below includes familiar commands such as New,
Open, Save, Print, and Undo.

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Note: If the Home tab is not the current tab, go ahead and click it.

The Command Window

At the heart of the program is the Command window, which is normally docked at the
bottom of the application window. The Command window displays prompts, options,
and messages.

You can enter commands directly in the Command window instead of using the ribbon,
toolbars, and menus. Many long-time users prefer this method.

Notice that as you start to type a command, it completes automatically. When several
possibilities are available such as in the example below, you can make your choice by
clicking it or using the arrow keys and then pressing Enter or the Spacebar.

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The Mouse
Most people use a mouse as their pointing device, but other devices have equivalent
controls.

Tip: When you look for an option, try right-clicking. Depending on where you locate your
cursor and whether you're in command, the shortcut menu that displays provides
relevant commands and options.

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New Drawings
You can easily conform to industry or company standards by specifying settings for text,
dimensions, linetypes, and several other features. For example, this backyard deck
design displays two different dimension styles.

All these settings can be saved in a drawing template file. Click New to choose from
several drawing template files:

• For imperial drawings that assume your units are inches,

use acad.dwt or acadlt.dwt.
• For metric units that assume your units are millimeters,
use acadiso.dwt or acadltiso.dwt.

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The "Tutorial" template files in the list are simple examples for the architectural or
mechanical design disciplines with both imperial (i) and metric (m) versions. You might
want to experiment with them when you start creating dimensions.

Most companies use drawing template files that conform to company standards. They
will often use different drawing template files depending on the project or the client.

Create Your Own Drawing Template File

You can save any drawing (.dwg) file as a drawing template (.dwt) file. To create a new
drawing template file based on an existing one, open the existing drawing template file,
modify it, and then save it again with a different filename.

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If you work independently, you can develop your drawing template files to suit your
working preferences, adding settings for additional features as you become familiar with
them. To modify an existing drawing template file, click Open, specify Drawing Template
(*.dwt) in the Select File dialog box, and choose the drawing template file.

Important: If your company has already established a set of drawing template files,
check with your CAD manager before modifying any of them.

Units
After you start a new drawing, you'll first decide what the length of one unit represents—
an inch, a foot, a centimeter, a kilometer, or some other unit of length. For example, the

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objects below could represent two buildings that are each 125 feet long, or they could
represent a section from a mechanical part that is measured in millimeters.

Unit Display Settings

After you decide what unit of length that you want to use, the UNITS command lets you
control several unit display settings including the following:

• Format (or Type). For example, a decimal length of 6.5 can be set to display as a
fractional length of 6-1/2 instead.
• Precision. For example, a decimal length of 6.5 can be set to display as 6.50,
6.500, or 6.5000.

If you plan to work in feet and inches, use the UNITS command to set the unit type to
Architectural, and then when you create objects, specify their lengths in inches. If you
plan to use metric units, leave the unit type set to Decimal. Changing the unit format
and precision does not affect the internal precision of your drawing. It affects only how
lengths, angles, and coordinates are displayed in the user interface.

Tip: If you change a setting for the unit display or any other setting, you can save the
settings in a drawing template file. Otherwise, you'll need to change the settings for
each new drawing.

Model Scale
Always create your models at full size (1:1 scale). The term model refers to the
geometry of your design. A drawing includes the model geometry along with the views,
notes, dimensions, callouts, tables, and the title block displayed in the layout.

You'll specify the scale for printing a drawing on a standard-sized sheet later, when you
create the layout.

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Recommendations

• To open Help with information about the command in progress, simply press F1.
• To repeat the previous command, press Enter or the Spacebar.
• To see various options, select an object and right-click, or right-click a user
interface element.
• To cancel a command in progress or if you ever feel stuck, press Esc. For
example, if you click in the drawing area before entering a command, you'll see
something like the following:

Press Esc to cancel this preselection operation. Parent topic: The Hitchhiker's Guide to
AutoCAD
Next topic: View

Related Reference

• UNITS (Command)

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View

Pan and zoom to different views in a drawing. View and edit your drawings from remote
locations.

The easiest way to change your view is by using the wheel on your mouse.

• Pan a view in any direction by holding the wheel down and then moving your
mouse.
• Zoom in or out by rolling the wheel.
Tip: When you zoom in or out, the location of the cursor is important. Think of your
cursor as a magnifying glass. For example, if you position the cursor in the upper-right
area of the floor plan as shown below, rolling the mouse wheel magnifies that area
without shifting it.

You can step back through a number of previous views by entering ZOOM in the
Command window and then specify the Previous option.

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A fast way to do this is by entering a command alias for the command. For example, the
command alias for ZOOM is Z.

1. Type Z in the Command window and press the Spacebar or Enter.

2. Then type P and press the Spacebar or Enter.

The previous view displays. Also note that typing a command or a command alias
followed by pressing the Spacebar or Enter key is often abbreviated with a description
like this: "Enter the ZOOM command."

The other commonly used options in the ZOOM command are Window and Extents.
The Window option enables you to specify a rectangular window of the area that you
want to display. The Extents option displays all of the objects in the drawing area.

View or Modify Drawings from Remote Locations

It can be helpful to be able to access your drawing files while on a job site, the shop
floor, at a meeting, or when travelling. With your AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT subscription,
you can view, create, and modify drawings on any of these devices:

• Your primary desktop or laptop in your office location with AutoCAD or AutoCAD
LT installed
• Another computer at a different site or at home using the AutoCAD web app on
your web browser
• Your smartphone or tablet in a remote location using the AutoCAD mobile app

If you think you'll need to access your drawings from a remote location, try using the
Save to Web & Mobile and Open from Web & Mobile commands.

To be able to access your drawings from a remote location, do one of the following:

• Download the free mobile app to your mobile device and sign in with the same
Autodesk ID that you use for your AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT subscription.
• From a tablet or a different computer, use your web browser (64-bit Chrome or
Firefox) to log in to https://web.autocad.com.

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Access Drawings from a Cloud Storage Account
If you have an account with a cloud storage provider, you can add it to your Places bar
in AutoCAD file selection dialog boxes for direct navigation to the drawings in your cloud
storage account. Simply right-click within the Places bar and enter a name and path for
the navigation shortcut.

Navigation shortcuts for Microsoft OneDrive, Box, Dropbox, and Google Drive
automatically display in your Places bar if you have an account.

Parent topic: The Hitchhiker's Guide to AutoCAD

Previous topic: Basics
Next topic: Geometry

Related Reference

• ZOOM (Command)

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Geometry

Create basic geometric objects such as lines, circles, and hatched areas.

You can create a lot of different types of geometric objects in AutoCAD, but you only
need to know a few of them for most 2D drawings.

Tip: If you want to simplify the display while you create geometric objects, press F12 to
turn off dynamic input.

Lines

The line is the most basic and common object in AutoCAD drawings. To draw a line,
click the Line tool.

Alternatively, you can type LINE or just L in the Command window, and then press
Enter or the Spacebar.

Notice the prompt in the Command window for a point location.

To specify the starting point for this line, you would type in the Cartesian coordinates
0,0. It's generally a good idea to locate one corner of your model at 0,0, which is called
the origin point. To locate additional points, you could specify additional X,Y coordinate
locations in the drawing area, however more efficient methods for specifying points are
available, and will be presented in the Precision topic.

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After you specify the next point, the LINE command automatically repeats itself, and it
keeps prompting you for additional points. Press Enter or the Spacebar to end the
sequence.

Grid Display
Some people like working with grid lines as a reference, while others prefer working in a
blank area. To turn off the grid display, press F7. Even with the grid turned off, you can
force your cursor to snap to grid increments by pressing F9.

Lines as Construction Aids

Lines can serve as reference and construction geometry such as

• Property line setbacks

• The mirror line of a symmetrical mechanical part
• Clearance lines to avoid interferences
• Traversal path lines

Circles
The default option of the CIRCLE command requires you to specify a center point and a
radius.

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Additional circle options are available from the drop-down:

Alternatively, you can enter CIRCLE or just C in the Command window and click to
choose an option. If you do, you can specify a center point, or you can click one of the
highlighted command options as shown below.

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Circles can be useful as reference geometry. For example, you can see that the two
doors in the illustration can interfere with each other.

Polylines and Rectangles

A polyline is a connected sequence of line or arc segments that is created as a single
object.

Use the PLINE command to create open or closed polylines for

• Geometry that needs to have fixed-width segments

• Continuous paths for which you need to know the total length
• Contour lines for topographic maps and isobaric data
• Wiring diagrams and traces on printed circuit boards

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 • Process and piping diagrams

Polylines can have a constant width or they can have different starting and ending
widths. After you specify the first point of the polyline, you can use the Width option to
specify the width of all subsequently created segments. You can change the width value
at any time, even as you create new segments.

Here is an example of a printed circuit board in which the traces were created with wide
polylines. The landing pads were created with the DONUT command.

Polylines can have different starting and ending widths for each segment as shown
here:

A fast way to create closed rectangular polylines is to use the RECTANG command
(enter REC in the Command window).

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Simply click two diagonal points for the rectangle as illustrated. If you use this method,
turn on grid snap (F9) for precision.

The User Coordinate System (Optional)

The user coordinate system (UCS) icon indicates the direction of the positive X and Y
axis for any coordinates that you enter, and it also defines the horizontal and vertical
directions in a drawing. In some 2D drawings, it can be convenient to click and place the
UCS to change the origin point and the X or Y axis.

For example, by reorienting the UCS, you can create rectangles that are automatically
aligned with the X axis as shown.

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To restore the user coordinate system to its original location, enter UCS in the
Command window and press Enter to specify the default <World> option.

Hatches and Fills

In AutoCAD, a hatch is a single, compound object that covers a specified area with a
pattern of lines, dots, shapes, a solid fill color, or a gradient fill.

When you start the HATCH command, the ribbon temporarily displays the Hatch
Creation tab. On this tab, you can choose from more than 70 industry-standard imperial
and ISO hatch patterns, along with many specialized options.

The simplest procedure is to choose a hatch pattern and scale from the ribbon, and
click within any area that is completely enclosed by objects. You need to specify the
scale factor for the hatch to control its size and spacing.

After you create a hatch, you can move the bounding objects to adjust the hatch area,
or you can delete one or more of the bounding objects to create partially bounded
hatches:

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Tip: If you set a hatch pattern to be a solid or gradient fill, also consider setting a
transparency level on the Hatch Creation tab for interesting overlap effects.

Here are some examples of how you can use solid-fill hatches:

Tip: If you need to align the pattern in a hatch, which might be the case with the decking
boards above, use the Set Origin option to specify an alignment point.

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For overlapping hatches, fills, wide polylines, and text objects, use the DRAWORDER
command to determine which objects are on top or below the others. For example, you
probably want the yellow highway to cross the blue river rather than the other way
around.

You can access several draw order options from the Modify panel on the ribbon. Click to
expand the Modify panel, and then click the down-arrow as shown below.

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The drop-down list displays options for selected objects plus additional options that
apply to all objects of a certain type, such as text.

Parent topic: The Hitchhiker's Guide to AutoCAD

Previous topic: View
Next topic: Precision

Related Reference

• CIRCLE (Command)
• DRAWORDER (Command)
• HATCH (Command)
• LINE (Command)
• PLINE (Command)
• RECTANG (Command)

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Precision

Ensure the precision required for your models.

There are several precision features available, including

• Polar tracking. Snap to the closest preset angle and specify a distance along that
angle.
• Locking angles. Lock to a single, specified angle and specify a distance along
that angle.
• Object snaps. Snap to precise locations on existing objects, such as an endpoint
of a polyline, the midpoint of a line, or the center point of a circle.
• Grid snaps. Snap to increments in a rectangular grid.
• Coordinate entry. Specify a location by its Cartesian or polar coordinates, either
absolute or relative.

The most commonly used precision features are polar tracking, locking angles, and
object snaps.

Polar Tracking
When you need to specify a point, such as when you create a line, use polar tracking to
guide the movement of your cursor in certain directions.

For example, after you specify the first point of the line below, move your cursor to the
right, and then enter a distance in the Command window to specify a precise horizontal
length for the line.

By default, polar tracking is turned on and guides your cursor in a horizontal or vertical
direction (0 or 90 degrees).

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Locking Angles
If you need to draw a line at a specified angle, you can lock the angle for the next point.
For example, if the second point of a line needs to be created at a 45 degree angle, you
would enter <45 in the Command window.

After you move your cursor in the desired direction along the 45-degree angle, you can
enter the length of the line.

Object Snaps
By far, the most important way to specify precise locations on objects is to use object
snaps. In the following illustration, several different kinds of object snaps are
represented by markers.

Object snaps become available during a command whenever AutoCAD prompts you to
specify a point. For example, if you start a new line and move your cursor near the
endpoint of an existing line, the cursor will automatically snap to it.

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Set Default Object Snaps
Enter the OSNAP command to set the default object snaps, which are also called
"running" object snaps. For example, you might find it useful to turn on the Midpoint
object snap by default.

Recommendations

• At any prompt for a point, you can specify a single object snap that overrides all
other object snap settings. You hold down Shift, right-click in the drawing area,
and choose an object snap from the Object Snap menu. Then move the cursor to
select a location on an object.
• Make sure that you zoom in close enough to avoid mistakes. In a densely
populated model, snapping to the wrong object will result in an error that can
propagate throughout your model.

Object Snap Tracking

During a command, you can align points both horizontally and vertically from object
snap locations. In the following illustration, you first hover over endpoint 1 and then
hover over endpoint 2. When you move your cursor near location 3, the cursor locks
into the horizontal and vertical location shown.

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You can now finish creating the line, circle, or other object that you were creating from
that location.

Verify Your Work

Recheck your geometry to catch mistakes early. Enter the DIST command (or just DI) to
measure the distance between any two points in your model.

For example, you might need to find the clearance between two points shown, which
might represent the corner of a wall and a small table, or perhaps a 2D section of a
plastic part and a wire.

After you enter DIST, click the endpoint on the corner (1). Next, hold down Shift as you
right-click, and then choose Perpendicular from the object snap menu. Finally, click the
circle (2).

The number of decimal places and unit style displayed in the result is controlled by the
UNITS command.

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Handy Function Key Reference
The keyboard function keys all have assignments in AutoCAD. The ones that are most
commonly turned on and off are indicated with a key.

Note: F8 and F10 are mutually exclusive—turning either one on will turn the other one
off.

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Parent topic: The Hitchhiker's Guide to AutoCAD
Previous topic: Geometry
Next topic: Layers

Related Reference

• DIST (Command)
• OSNAP (Command)

Layers

Organize your drawing by assigning objects to layers.

When a drawing becomes visually complex, you can hide the objects that you currently do not need
to see.

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In the drawing below, the doors and electrical wiring were temporarily hidden by turning
off their layers.

You gain this level of control by organizing the objects in your drawing on layers that are
associated with a specific function or a purpose. It might be helpful to think of layers as
clear plastic sheets:

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With layers, you can

• Associate objects by their function or location

• Display or hide all related objects in a single operation
• Enforce line type, color, and other property standards for each layer
Important: Resist the temptation to create everything on one layer. Layers are the most
important organizing feature available in AutoCAD drawings.

Layer Controls
To see how a drawing is organized, use the LAYER command to open the Layer
Properties Manager. You can either enter LAYER or LA in the Command window, or
you can click the Layer Properties tool on the ribbon.

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Here's what the Layer Properties Manager displays in this drawing.

As you can see in the illustration, layer 10 WALLS is the current layer. All new objects
are automatically placed on that layer. In the list of layers, the green check next to layer
10 WALLS confirms that it is the current layer.

In the column labeled On, notice that the light bulb icons for two layers are dark. These
layers were turned off to hide the doors and electrical wiring in the floor plan.

Notice that each layer name starts with a two-digit number. This convention makes it
easy to control the order of the layers because their order does not depend on the
alphabet.

Tip: For complex drawings, you might want to consider a more elaborate layer naming
standard. For example, layer names could begin with 3 digits followed by a naming
code that accommodates multiple floors in a building, project numbers, sets of survey
and property data, and so on.

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Practical Recommendations

• Layer 0 is the default layer that exists in all drawings and has some esoteric
properties. Instead of using this layer, it's best to create your own layers with
meaningful names.
• Any drawing that contains at least one dimension object automatically includes a
reserved layer named Defpoints.
• Create a layer for behind-the-scenes construction geometry, reference geometry,
and notes that you usually do not need to see or print.
• Create a layer for layout viewports. Information about layout viewports is covered
in the Layouts topic.
• Create a layer for all hatches and fills. This lets you to turn them all on or off in
one action.

Layer Settings
The following are the most commonly used layer settings in the Layer Properties
Manager. You click the icon to turn the setting on and off.

• Turn off layers. You turn off layers to reduce the visual complexity of your
drawing while you work.

• Freeze layers. You freeze layers that you do not need to access for a while.
Freezing layers is similar to turning them off, but improves performance in very
large drawings.

• Lock layers. You lock layers when you want to prevent accidental changes to the
objects on those layers. Also, the objects on locked layers appear faded, which
helps reduce the visual complexity of your drawing, but still lets you see the
objects faintly.

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 • Set default properties. You set the default properties for each layer, including
color, line type, line weight, and transparency. New objects that you create will
use these properties unless you override them. Overriding layer properties is
explained later in this topic.

Controls in the Layer Properties Manager

To create a new layer, click the button shown and enter the name of the new layer. To
make a different layer the current one, click the layer and then click the indicated button.

Quick Access to Layer Settings

The Layer Properties Manager takes up a lot of space, and you don't always need to
access all the options. For quick access to the most common layer controls, use the
controls on the ribbon. When no objects are selected, the Layers panel on the Home tab
displays the name of the current layer as shown here.

Occasionally, check to make sure that the objects you create will be on the correct
layer. It's easy to forget to do this, but it's also easy to set. Click the drop-down arrow to
display a list of layers, and then click a layer on the list to make it the current layer. You
can also click on any icon in the list to change its setting.

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Maintain Your Standards
It's critically important either to establish or to conform to a company-wide layer
standard. With a layer standard, drawing organization will be more logical, consistent,
compatible, and maintainable over time and across departments. Layer standards are
essential for team projects.

If you create a standard set of layers and save them in a drawing template file, those
layers will be available when you start a new drawing, and you can start working
immediately. Additional information about drawing template files is presented in the
Basics topic.

Summary
Layers organize your drawing, enabling you to temporarily suppress the display of
unneeded graphical data. You can also assign default properties such as color and line
type to each layer.

Note: Some experienced AutoCAD users set properties only by changing layers, while
others set properties independently of layers or in combination with layers. Assigning
properties to objects is covered in the Properties topic.
Parent topic: The Hitchhiker's Guide to AutoCAD
Previous topic: Precision
Next topic: Properties

Related Reference

• LAYER (Command)

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Properties

You can assign properties such as color and line type to individual objects, or as default
properties assigned to layers.

In the following drawing, the walls, exterior stone facing, doors, fixtures, cabinetry,
HVAC, electrical, and text were created using different colors to help differentiate
between them.

The Properties Palette

The Properties palette is an essential tool. You can open it with the PROPERTIES
command (enter PR in the Command window), you can press Ctrl + 1, or you can click
the tiny arrow in the Properties panel on the Home tab—whichever you prefer.

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The Properties palette displays a list of all the important property settings. You can click
any of the available fields to change the current settings. In the following example, if no
objects are selected, the current color will be changed from By Layer to Red. All
subsequently created objects will then be assigned the color property Red .

Verify and Change Object Properties

You can also use the Properties palette to verify and change property settings for
selected objects. If you click an object in your drawing to select it, here is what you
might see in the Properties palette.

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Notice that the current properties for the selected object are displayed in the Properties
palette. You can change any of these properties by clicking it and changing the setting.
A property that is set to "By Layer" inherits its setting from its layer. In the previous
example, the objects that were created on the 20 ELECTRICAL layer are purple
because that is the default color of the objects on that layer.

If you select several objects, only their common properties are listed in the Properties
palette. If you change one of these properties, all the selected objects will change in one
operation. Selecting objects is covered in more detail in the Modifying topic.

Note: To clear the current selection, press Esc.

Quick Access to Property Settings

The Properties palette takes up a lot of space. For quick access to the most common
properties, use the Properties panel on the ribbon. As you can see in this example, the
listed properties will all be determined by the current layer.

The Properties panel works the same way as the Properties palette. When you select
an object, the current property settings are replaced by the properties assigned to the
selected object, and you can use this panel to easily change the properties of one of
more selected objects.

Match the Properties of Objects

For a fast way to copy the properties of a selected object to other objects, use the
Match Properties tool, or enter MATCHPROP or MA in the Command window.

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After you click the Match Properties tool, select the source object, and then select all of
the objects that you want to modify.

Line types
Dashed and other non-continuous line types are assigned from the Properties panel.
You first need to load a line type before you can assign it.

In the Line type drop-down list, click Other.

This action displays the Line type Manager dialog box.

Perform the following steps:

1. Click Load. Choose one or more line types that you want to use. Notice that
dashed (non-continuous) line types come in several preset sizes.
2. Click Show/Hide details to display additional settings.
3. Specify a different "global scale factor" for all line types—the larger the value, the
longer the dashes and spaces. Click OK.

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Once you've loaded the line types that you plan to use, you can select any object and
specify a line type from the Properties panel or the Properties palette. Alternatively, you
can specify a default line type for any layer in the Layer Properties Manager.

Line weights
The Line weight property provides a way to display different thicknesses for selected
objects. The thickness of the lines remain constant regardless of the scale of the view.
In a layout, line weights display and print in real-world units.

Line weights can also be assigned from the Properties panel.

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You can leave the line weight set to By Layer, or you can specify a value that overrides
the layer's line weight. In some cases, the line weight previews look the same because
they are displayed in approximated pixel widths on a monitor.

Tip: It's usually best to leave line weights turned off while you work. Heavy line weights
can obscure nearby objects when you use object snaps. You might want to turn them
for checking purposes just before you print.

To control the display of line weights, click the Line weight Settings button at the bottom
of the line weight list. In the Line weight Settings dialog box, you can choose whether
you want to display line weights.

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Regardless of how the lightweights appear on your monitor, objects always print at the
line weight you specify.

Parent topic: The Hitchhiker's Guide to AutoCAD

Previous topic: Layers
Next topic: Modify

Related Reference

• LINETYPE (Command)
• MATCHPROP (Command)
• PROPERTIES (Command)

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Modify

Perform operations such as erase, move, and trim on the objects in a drawing.

The most common of these tools are located on the Modify panel of the Home tab. Take
a minute to look through them.

Erase
To erase an object, use the ERASE command. You can enter E in the Command
window, or click the Erase tool. When you see the cursor change to a square pick box,
click each object that you want to erase, and then press Enter or the Spacebar.

Note: Alternatively, before you enter any command, you can select several objects and
then press the Delete key. Experienced users often use this method as well.

Select Multiple Objects

Sometimes you need to select a large number of objects. Instead of selecting each
object individually, you can select the objects in an area by clicking an empty location
(1), moving your cursor right or left, and then clicking a second time (2).

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 • With a crossing selection, any objects within or touching the green area are
selected.
• With a window selection, only the objects completely contained within the blue
area are selected.

The result is called the selection set, which is the set of objects that will be processed
by a command.

Tip: You can easily remove objects from the selection set. For example, if you select 42
objects, and two of them should not have been selected, hold down Shift and then
select the two that you want to remove. Then, press Enter or the Spacebar, or right click
to end the selection process.

Move and Copy

Here's how you would use the COPY command to lay out a row of decorative tiles.
Starting with a polyline that represents its shape, you need to make copies that are 1/8"
apart.

You click the Copy tool or enter CP in the Command window to start the command.
From here, you can choose between two methods, depending on what's more
convenient. You will use both these methods frequently.

The Distance Method

The second tile needs to be a total of 9-7/8" + 1/8" = 10" to the right of the original tile.
So, you select the tile, press Enter or the Spacebar to end your selection, and click
anywhere in the drawing area (1). This point does not have to be located on the tile.

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Next, you move your cursor to the right, relying on the polar tracking angle to keep the
direction horizontal, and then enter 10 for the distance. Press Enter or the Spacebar a
second time to end the command.

The specified distance and a direction from the point (1) is applied to the tile that you
selected.

The Two Points Method

Another method, one that you will often use when you don't want to add numbers
together, requires two steps. You start the COPY command and select the tile as
before, but this time you click the two endpoints as shown. These two points also define
a distance and direction.

Next, to add the 1/8" space between the tiles, click the Move tool or enter M in the
Command window. The MOVE command is similar to the COPY command. Select the
newly copied tile, and press Enter or the Spacebar. As before, click anywhere in the
drawing area and move your cursor to the right. Enter 1/8 or .125 for the distance.

Tip: The two points that define the distance and direction don't need to be located on
the object that you want to copy or move. You can use two points specified anywhere in
your model.

For example, enter the MOVE command. Use a selection method to select the objects
in the rectangle (1). Specify a base point (2) and a second point (3) to determine the
distance and direction of the move. Press Spacebar or Enter to see the results.

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The distance and direction determined by the endpoints at 2 and 3 in the illustration are
applied to the rectangle at the right. This is a good way to specify existing distances for
moving and copying objects.

Create Multiple Copies

Similarly, you can use the two-points method as a repeating sequence. Let's say that
you want to make more copies of the circle at the same horizontal distance. You start
the COPY command and select the circle as shown.

Then, using the Center object snap, click the center of circle 1, followed by the center of
circle 2, and so on.

For larger numbers of copies, try experimenting with the Array option of the COPY
command. For example, here's a linear arrangement of deep foundation piles. From a
base point, you specify number of copies and the center-to-center distance.

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Offset
Most models include a lot of parallel lines and curves. Creating them is easy and
efficient with the OFFSET command. Click the OFFSET tool or enter O in the Command
window.

Select the object (1), specify the offset distance, and click to indicate on which side of
the original that you want the result (2). Here is an example of offsetting a polyline.

Tip: A fast way to create concentric circles is to offset them.

Trim and Extend

A popular technique is to use the OFFSET command in combination with the TRIM and
EXTEND commands. Trimming and extending are some of the most commonly used
operations. Click the TRIM or MOVE tool or enter TR for TRIM or EX for EXTEND in the
Command window.

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In the following illustration, let's say you want to extend the lines that represent the
steps for this deck. You start the Extend command and select the objects to be
extended (near the ends to be extended) and then press Enter or the Spacebar to end
the command.

As a result, the lines are extended to the first boundary that they encounter.

If there are multiple objects to extend, you can use faster ways of selecting the objects
to extend. For example

• Two-point fence selection. Click an empty location (1) and then click a second
location that crosses the objects to be extended (2).
• Freehand selection. Click and drag an empty location (1) to another location (2).

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The TRIM command follows the same steps, except that when you select the objects to
trim, you select the portions to trim away.

Mirror
The following illustration comes from a tile project. The walls in this residential bathroom
are flattened out to be able to lay out the tile pattern and estimate the number of tiles
needed.

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You can save a lot of work by taking advantage of the symmetry between the left and
right walls. All you need to do is create the tiles on one wall and then mirror the wall
across the center of the room.

In the example below, you start the MIRROR command (or enter MI in the Command
window), use window selection (1 and 2) to select the geometry on the right wall, press
Enter or the Spacebar, and then specify a mirror line (3 and 4) corresponding to the
centerline of the bathroom.

Finally, decline the option to "Erase source objects" by pressing Enter or the Spacebar.

Tip: Always look for symmetry to save yourself extra work, even if the symmetry is not
100% identical.

Stretch
You can stretch most geometric objects. This lets you lengthen and shorten parts of
your model. For example, this model might be a gasket or the design for a public park.

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Use the STRETCH command (or enter S in the Command window) and select the
objects with a crossing selection as shown below (1 and 2). The crossing selection is
mandatory—only the geometry that is crossed by the crossing selection is stretched.
Then click anywhere in the drawing area (3), move the cursor to the right, and enter 50
as the distance. This distance might represent millimeters or feet.

To shorten the model by a specified amount, you'd move your cursor to the left instead.

Fillet
The FILLET command (enter F in the Command window) creates a rounded corner by
creating an arc that is tangent to two selected objects. Notice that the fillet is created
relative to where you select the objects.

You can create a fillet between most types of geometric objects, including lines, arcs,
and polyline segments.

Tip: If you hold down the Shift key when you select the second object, the result trims
or extends the selected objects to a sharp corner.

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Explode
The EXPLODE command (enter X in the Command window) disassociates a compound
object into its component parts. You can explode objects such as polylines, hatches,
and blocks (symbols).

After you explode a compound object, you can modify each resulting individual object.

Edit Polylines
You can choose from several useful options when you want to modify a polyline. The
PEDIT command (enter PE in the Command window) is located on the drop-down list of
the Modify panel.

With this command, you can

• Join two polylines into a single polyline if they share a common endpoint
• Convert lines and arcs into a polyline—simply enter PEDIT and select the line or
arc
• Change the width of a polyline
Tip: In some cases, the easiest method to modify a polyline is to explode it, make the
modifications, and then turn the objects back into a polyline using the Join option of the
PEDIT command.

Grips
Grips are displayed when you select an object without starting a command. Grips are
often handy for light editing. For example, the line below accidentally snapped to the

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wrong endpoint. You can select the misaligned line, click on a grip and then click to
specify the correct location.

By default, when you click a grip, you automatically start in **STRETCH** mode as
indicated in the Command window. If you want to explore other ways of editing objects
with grips, press Enter or the Spacebar to cycle through several other editing modes.
Some people perform many editing operations using grips.

Parent topic: The Hitchhiker's Guide to AutoCAD

Previous topic: Properties
Next topic: Symbols

Related Reference

• ALIGN (Command)
• COPY (Command)
• ERASE (Command)
• EXTEND (Command)
• EXPLODE (Command)
• FILLET (Command)
• MIRROR (Command)
• MOVE (Command)
• OFFSET (Command)
• PEDIT (Command)
• ROTATE (Command)
• STRETCH (Command)
• TRIM (Command)

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Symbols

Insert symbols and details into your drawings from commercial online sources or from
your own designs.

Some Basic Definitions

In AutoCAD, symbols and details that you insert into drawings are called blocks. A block
is a collection of geometric and text objects plus other data that are combined into a
single named object. The following are some examples of a variety of blocks at different
scales.

There are four things involved for inserting blocks in a drawing.

• A block definition. This data is stored in a drawing file or drawing template file in
a non-graphical format. Block definitions can easily be created or imported from
any drawing file.
• A block reference. When you insert a block, you specify a drawing file or a block
definition to import. The graphics for the block reference are generated from the
block definition.
• A block insertion base point or just base point. When you insert a block, this is
the part of the block attached to your cursor.
The base point is circled on the block below. Later, if you select a block that's
already been inserted, it displays a grip at the base point. You can easily move
and rotate this block using this grip.

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 • A block insertion tool. Several different tools are available in the product. These
include the block gallery on the ribbon, the Blocks palette, the Tool Palettes
window, and Autodesk Design Center.

For example, the following drawing contains only four block definitions: Cubicle, Chair,
Table, and Plant. There are three block references to Cubicle, twelve block references
to Chair, two block references to Table, and two block references to Plant.

Considering this example, what are the advantages of inserting the chair as a block
reference 12 times rather than creating 12 copies of a geometry of the chair?

• The block reference of the chair associates the geometry of the chair into a
single object, which is easier to move, copy, and rotate as a unit.
• The part number, vendor, and other information, which are called block
attributes, can be stored with the block definition or each block insertion. This
data can be extracted into a schedule or a report.
• If you make a change to the block definition in a drawing, all the associated block
references in the drawing are immediately updated.
• For drawings with many repetitive elements, the amount of data stored is
significantly less when these elements are stored as block references.
Note: The commonly used term, block, can refer loosely to either a block definition, a
block reference, or both depending on the context.

Insert Blocks into a Drawing

Typically, you insert a block into the current drawing from one of these sources:

• Any drawing file. For example, you might create a drawing of a standard detail
view. You can then use a block insertion tool to insert this drawing as a block into
your current drawing. In this example, the detail views folder is commonly termed
a block library folder.

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• One or more block definitions contained within a drawing file. For example, you
can create a drawing that only contains block definitions of trees. You can then
insert any of these blocks from that drawing into your current drawing. A drawing
file that contains a family of related blocks is commonly termed a block
library drawing.

• One or more block definitions created in your current drawing. For example, you
might want to create a block from a set of objects that appear repeatedly in that
drawing, such as the following cubicle arrangement that contains
multiple nested blocks. All the blocks used in the cubicle arrangement can be
combined into a single block for multiple placements.

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Once you insert a block, you can easily move, copy, rotate or scale it as a single unit.

Use a Block Insertion Tool

To get started with the Blocks palette, follow these steps:

1. Click Insert from the Home tab and click Blocks from Libraries. This starts the
BLOCKSPALETTE command.

This action opens the Blocks palette to the Libraries tab.

2. Click the Browse button to display a folder or file selection dialog box.

3. Navigate to the Design Center folder where a variety of sample drawings are
stored.

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 Each drawing in the Design Center folder contains a set of related block
definitions.
4. Select a drawing file that interests you.
For example, let's say you create drawings for heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning. Select the HVAC drawing and then click Open.

5. From the Blocks palette, Libraries tab, click and place several of the blocks.

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 This action copies the selected block definition from the block library drawing into
your current drawing and inserts a block reference. Inserting additional block
references will now be much faster. To specify a different drawing file, use the
Browse control as before.

6. To choose a different library drawing from the Design Center folder, make sure
that the Libraries tab is current (1) and click the file navigation button (2).

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 Note: You can also navigate directly to a drawing file to insert as a block.

7. Experiment with the other controls. For example, try changing the preview
control.

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Tip: The default options at the bottom of the Blocks palette are usually acceptable, but
you can experiment with them to see what options you might want to use.

Notice that the next time you click Insert on the ribbon, the gallery displays all of the
block definitions stored in the current drawing. You can quickly click and place these
blocks from the gallery into your drawing.

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Also, familiarize yourself with the Blocks palette tabs.

• The Current Drawing tab displays all of the block definitions in

the current drawing only.
• The Recent tab displays the block definitions that you've recently inserted or
created in the current and previous sessions. These blocks can come from
various drawings.
• The Favorites tab displays blocks you've copied to this tab. To copy a block to
the Favorites tab, right-click a block on one of the other tabs and select Copy to
Favorites.

Create a Drawing for Use as a Block

Often, individual drawing files are created to be used as blocks and saved in a folder
with similar drawing files. This method is an alternative to accessing the block
definitions stored in a single drawing.

Note: You can store your block drawings on cloud storage so that you have access to
them across devices.

When you create a drawing file for use as a block, make sure that you locate an object
at the origin point (0,0). This will serve as the default base point of the block. Later,
when you insert the block, it is attached to your cursor at the base point.

In the following example, a drawing file is inserted into the current drawing to provide a
standard detail view.

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Custom title blocks and drawing borders are also created as drawing files that can be
inserted later or included in drawing template files.

Tip: When you save drawings for later insertion, navigate to a folder, right-click, and
create several folders to organize the drawings. You can drag one or more of them into
your Places bar for easier access in the future.

Manage Block Definitions and Data in a Drawing (Optional)

You can create, remove, and modify block definitions directly in the current drawing for
special circumstances.

• Remove unused block definitions from a drawing with the PURGE command.
Purging a drawing of unused block definitions can reduce the size of a drawing.

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 You can purge only those block definitions that aren't used by any block
references in the drawing.
• Create new block definitions directly in the current drawing with the BLOCK
command. Creating block definitions is useful either if you need a block that's
unique to that drawing or if you want to create a block library drawing that
contains a family of related block definitions.
• Disassemble a block reference into its constituent objects with the EXPLODE
command. Exploding block references provides an easy way to define new
versions of a block definition with the BLOCK command or to save the resulting
objects to a new drawing file with the WBLOCK command.
Tip: Block definitions can also include objects called block attributes that can store
information such as part number, vendor name, and cost. You can extract and export
block attribute data to a table, schedule, or external file. Some blocks called dynamic
blocks can change their appearance dynamically depending on the associated data,
location, or options chosen.

Summary of Suggestions and Recommendations

Several different methods are commonly used for saving and organizing block
definitions.

• Create an individual drawing file for each block that you intend to use. Save
these drawing files in folders that contain families of related drawing files.
• Create drawing files called block library drawings. Each one of these drawings
contains a family of related block definitions. When you insert a block library
drawing into your current drawing, all the blocks that are defined in that drawing
become available in your current drawing.
• Include the block definitions for title blocks and commonly used symbols in your
drawing template files to make them available immediately when starting a new
drawing.
• Evaluate which block insertion tool best suits your needs: the Blocks palette and
ribbon gallery, the Tool Palettes window, or Autodesk Design Center.
• Store your blocks on cloud storage so they are available across devices and
platforms.
Tip: With online access, you can download AutoCAD drawing files from the web sites of
commercial vendors and suppliers. This option can save you a significant amount of
time, but always check to make sure that these drawings are drawn correctly and to
scale.
Parent topic: The Hitchhiker's Guide to AutoCAD
Previous topic: Modify
Next topic: Layout

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Related Reference

• BLOCKSPALETTE (Command)

Layout

Display one or more scaled views of your design on a standard-size drawing sheet
called a layout.

After you finish creating a model at full size, you can switch to a paper space layout to
create scaled views of the model, and to add notes, labels, and dimensions. You can
also specify different linetypes and line widths for display in paper space.

Specifying the Paper Size of a Layout

The first thing that you should do when you access a layout tab (1) is right-click the tab
(2) and rename it (3) to something more specific than Layout 1. Names that reference a
specific ANSI or ISO size might be a good choice.

Next, open the Page Setup Manager (4) to change the paper size displayed in the
layout tab. There are a lot of controls here, but you only need to change a few. The first
is to specify the size of your sheet.

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Note: You might be wondering why there are two entries in the list for every sheet size.
This is because some printers and plotters do not recognize the drawing orientation
setting.

Model Space and Paper Space

As you know, you create the geometry of your model in model space.

Originally, this was the only space available in AutoCAD. All notes, labels, dimensions,
and the drawing border and title block were also created and scaled in model space.
For some applications, this method is still entirely sufficient.

With the paper space feature, you can click a layout tab designed specifically for
displaying multiple views, automatic scaling, and electronic or printing output.

For example, a layout tab is selected in the following illustration. There are currently two
objects in paper space: a block reference for the title and drawing border, and a single
layout viewport that displays a scaled view of model space.

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By default, a single layout viewport object is initially included on each layout tab, but
your organization might be using customized drawing template (DWT) files that include
several predefined layouts, layout viewports, and title blocks.

Let's learn more about layout viewport objects.

Layout Viewports
A layout viewport is an object that's created on a layout tab to display a scaled view of
model space. You can think of it as a closed-circuit TV monitor that displays part of
model space. You can select a layout viewport as you would any other object. When
you select it, several grips display that provide a way to adjust the size of the viewport,
move the viewport, and specify the scale of the view that's contained in it.

Several editing commands such as Move, Erase, and Copy can be used on layout
viewports. When you select a layout viewport, you can use the Properties palette to
provide a complete list of options and settings.

Tip: When you're ready to create an electronic output or print a layout, you will want to
hide the viewport borders. To accomplish this, create all viewport objects on a separate
layer and then turn that layer off.

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Switch between Model Space and Paper Space

When you're working on a layout tab, you can switch between paper space and model
space without returning to the Model tab. Here's how. As shown in the illustration, you
move your cursor and double-click either inside a layout viewport to access model
space or you double-click outside the layout viewport to return to paper space. When
you're in model space, the border of the layout viewport becomes thicker.

The primary reasons that you might want to access model space through the layout
viewport is to pan the view or to make minor adjustments to the objects, especially
those that display only in that viewport.

Tip: Instead of panning a view, simply select the viewport object from paper space, click
one of the four size grips, and adjust the boundary.

Create a New Viewport

You can use the New option of the MVIEW (make view) command to create additional
layout viewports in paper space. With several layout viewports, you can display different
views of model space at the same scale or at different scales.

1. From a layout tab, enter MVIEW in the Command window and choose the New
option.
2. A maximized view of model space displays temporarily and you can click two
points as shown to define an area.
3. Back in the layout, right-click to display a list of scales and click the one that you
want to use.
4. Click a location to place the new layout viewport containing the scaled view.

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If you later need to set a different scale, select the layout viewport and click the
triangular scale grip. This action displays a list of scales to choose from.

By default, scaled viewports are automatically locked to prevent accidental zooming or

panning, which would change the scale or the clipping boundaries. You can lock and
unlock a layout viewport by selecting it, right-clicking to display the shortcut menu, and
choose Display Locked > On or Off.

Note: As required by drafting conventions, the dashes and spaces in a non-continuous

line type always appear at the same length regardless of the scale of the layout
viewport. If you change the scale of the layout viewport, you will need to enter
REGENALL to update the display immediately.

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Trans-Spatial Annotation
After you create one or more scaled layout viewports on a layout tab, follow these steps
to use the trans-spatial method of annotating your drawing:

1. Move the layout viewport as needed, and adjust its edges using the size grips.
2. Turn off the layer on which you created the layout viewport object. This hides the
edges of the layout viewport.
3. Create notes, labels, and dimensions directly in paper space. They automatically
appear at the correct size.

4. Print the drawing to paper or as a DWF or PDF file.

Four Methods for Scaling Views and Annotating Drawings (Optional)

There are four different methods in AutoCAD for scaling views, notes, labels, and
dimensions. Each method has advantages depending on how the drawing will be used.
Here's a brief summary of each of the methods:

• The Original Method. You create geometry, annotate, and print from model
space. Dimensions, notes, and labels must all be scaled in reverse. You set the
dimension scale to the inverse of the plot scale. With this method, scaling
requires a little math. For example, a commonly used imperial scale in
architecture is 1/4" = 1'-0" which is 1:48 scale. If a note is to be printed 1/4" high,
then it must be created 48 times as large, or 12" high in model space. The same
scale factor also applies to dimensions, and an ARCH D drawing border at that
scale is 144 feet long. When the drawing is printed as a D-size sheet, everything
scales down to the correct size.

Note: Many AutoCAD drawings were created with this method, and many
companies still use it. Once everything is set up, the method works well for 2D
drawings with single views and inserted details.

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 • The Layout Method. You create geometry and annotations in model space, and
then print from the layout. Set the dimension scale to 0 and the dimensions will
scale automatically.
• The Annotative Method. You create geometry in model space,
create annotative dimensions, notes, and labels, which use a special annotative
style, in model space from the layout, and then you print from the layout.
Annotative objects display only in layout viewports that share the same scale.
The dimension scale is automatically set to 0 and all annotative objects scale
automatically.
• The Trans-Spatial Method. You create geometry in model space, create
annotations in paper space on a layout with the dimension scale set to 1, and
then you print from the layout. This is arguably the simplest, most direct method,
which is why it is the method of choice for this guide.
Tip: Talk to other AutoCAD users in your discipline about these four methods and why
they chose that method.
Parent topic: The Hitchhiker's Guide to AutoCAD
Previous topic: Symbols
Next topic: Annotate

Related Reference

• MVIEW (Command)

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Annotate

Create notes, labels, bubbles, and callouts. Save and restore style settings by name.

You create general notes using the MTEXT command (or enter MT in the Command
window), which stands for multiline text. The multiline text tool is available on the
Annotation panel.

After you start the MTEXT command, you are prompted to create a "text box" with two
diagonal clicks.

The exact size of the text box is not that important. After you specify the text box, the In-
Place Editor is displayed and you can easily change the length and width of the note
before, during, or after typing the text.

All the usual controls are available in the In-Place Editor, including tabs, indents, and
columns. Also notice that when you start the MTEXT command, the ribbon temporarily
changes, displaying many options such as text styles, columns, spell checking, and so
on.

• To exit the text editor after you finish entering the text, click anywhere outside it.
• To edit a note, simply double-click it to open the text editor.

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Tip: You can use the Properties palette to control the text style used for one or more
selected multiline text objects. For example, after selecting five notes that use different
styles, click the Style column and choose a style from the list.

Create a Text Style

As with several other annotation features, multiline text provides a lot of settings. You
can save these settings as a text style using the STYLE command, and then you can
access the text styles you've saved by clicking the drop-down arrow on the Annotation
panel. The current text style is displayed at the top of the drop-down list.

To create a new text style, click the Text Style control as shown.

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When you create a new text style, you give it a name, and then choose a font and a font
style. The order in which you click the buttons is shown below:

Tip: Save any new or changed text styles in your drawing template files. This will save
you a lot of time by making them available in all new drawings.

Multileader
Multileader objects are used to create text with leader lines such as general labels,
reference labels, bubbles, and callouts.

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Create a Multileader
To create a multileader, use the MLEADER command. Click the Multileader tool in the
Annotation panel or enter MLD in the Command window. Follow the prompts and
options in the Command window. Feel free to experiment.

After you create a multileader, select it and then modify it by clicking and moving its
grips.

Grip menus appear when you hover over arrowhead and leader grips. From these
menus, you can add leader segments or additional leaders.

You can edit the text in a multileader by double-clicking it.

Create a Multileader Style

You can create your own multileader styles from the drop-down list in the expanded
Annotation panel, or by entering MLEADERSTYLE in the Command window.

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For example, to create a "detail callout" style, start the MLEADERSTYLE command. In
the Multileader Styles Manager, click New and choose a descriptive name for the new
multileader style. Click the Content tab, choose Block, and then Detail Callout as
shown.

Note: As with text styles, once you create one or more multileader styles, save them in
your drawing template files.
Parent topic: The Hitchhiker's Guide to AutoCAD
Previous topic: Layout
Next topic: Dimension

Related Reference

• MLEADER (Command)

Page 76 of 87
 • MLEADERSTYLE (Command)
• MTEXT (Command)
• STYLE (Command)

Dimension

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.

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The following illustration demonstrates one method for using the DIM command. Once
you start the command, select the 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.

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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.

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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.
Parent topic: The Hitchhiker's Guide to AutoCAD
Previous topic: Annotate
Next topic: Print

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Related Reference

• DIM (Command)
• DIMROTATED (Command)
• DIMSTYLE (Command)

Print

Output a drawing layout to a printer, a plotter, or a file. Save and restore the printer
settings for each layout.

Originally, people printed text from printers and plotted drawings from plotters. Now, you
can do both with either. So this guide will also use the terms print and plot
interchangeably as everyone else does.

The command to output a drawing is PLOT and you can access it from the Quick
Access toolbar.

To control whether all of the options in the Plot dialog box are hidden or displayed, click
the More Options button.

When all of the options are displayed, there are a lot of settings and options available
for your use.

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For convenience, you can save and restore collections of these settings by name.
These are called page setups. With page setups you can store the settings that you
need for different printers, printing in gray scales, creating a PDF file from your drawing,
and so on.

Create a Page Setup

To open the Page Setup Manager, right-click on the Model tab or a layout tab and
choose Page Setup Manager. The command is PAGESETUP.

Each layout tab in your drawing can have an associated page setup. This is convenient
when you use more than one output device or format, or if you have several layouts with
different sheet sizes in the same drawing.

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To create a new page setup, click New and enter the name of the new page setup. The
Page Setup dialog box that displays next looks like the Plot dialog box. Choose all the
options and settings that you want to save.

When you are ready to plot, you simply specify the name of the page setup in the Plot
dialog box, and all your plot settings will be restored. In the following illustration, the Plot
dialog box is set to use the Hitchhiker page setup, which will output a DWF (Design
Web Format) file rather than print to a plotter.

Tip: You can save page setups in your drawing template files, or you can import them
from other drawing files.

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Output to a PDF File
The following example shows you how to create a page setup for creating PDF files.

From the Printer/plotter drop-down list, choose AutoCAD PDF (General

Documentation).pc3:

Next, choose the size and scale options that you want to use:

• Paper Size. The orientation (portrait or landscape) is built into the choices in the
drop-down list.
• Plot Area. You can clip the area to be plotted with these options, but usually you
plot everything.
• Plot Offset. This setting changes based on your printer, plotter, or other output.
Try centering the plot or adjusting the origin, but remember that printers and
plotters have a built-in margin around the edges.
• Plot Scale. Choose your plot scale from the drop-down list. A scale such as 1/4”
= 1’-0” is meant for printing to scale from the Model tab. On a layout tab, you
normally print at a 1:1 scale.

The plot style table provides information about processing colors. Colors that look good
on your monitor might not be suitable for a PDF file or for printing. For example, you
might want to create a drawing in color, but create monochrome output. Here is how
you specify monochrome output:

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Tip: Always double-check your settings with the Preview option.

The resulting Preview window includes a toolbar with several controls, including Plot
and Close Preview Window.

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After you are satisfied with your plot settings, save them to a page setup with a
descriptive name such as "PDF-monochrome." Then, whenever you want to output to a
PDF file, all that you need to do is click Print, choose the PDF-monochrome page setup,
and click OK.

Recommendations for Sharing and Remote Access

• If you want to share a static image of your drawing, you can export a PDF file
from a drawing (PLOT command).
• If you want to include additional data from your drawing, you can export a DWF
(Design Web Format) file from a drawing (PLOT command).
• If you want to share designs with clients and colleagues within or outside your
organization without releasing your drawing files, you can use the Shared Views
feature (SHAREDVIEWS command).
• If you want to make a PDF of your design available on Autodesk Docs, you can
use the Push to Autodesk Docs feature (PUSHTODOCSOPEN command).
• If you want to access a drawing from a different location or device, you can use
the Save To AutoCAD Web & Mobile feature (SAVETOWEBMOBILE,
OPENFROMWEBMOBILE commands).

Final Thoughts
Congratulations, you've learned the basics of AutoCAD with the minimum set of
commands. From here, simply practice what you've learned, review the chapters as
needed, and expand your collection of commands. For additional information, you can
do the following:

• Study the topic links to the Help system

• Ask questions and receive tips on AutoCAD discussion forums
(https://forums.autodesk.com/)
• From within AutoCAD, press F1 and on the Help Home page, click topics listed
under Have You Tried . . .
• Browse through blog posts on the Autodesk and AutoCAD-related websites
(https://www.autodesk.com/blogs)
• View videos from various AutoCAD learning websites
• Get help from local support providers or experts right away if you encounter any
difficulties

Best wishes from Autodesk for excellent productivity and success!

Parent topic: The Hitchhiker's Guide to AutoCAD

Previous topic: Dimension

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Related Reference

• PAGESETUP (Command)
• PLOT (Command)

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