An Introduction to AutoCAD for Beginners

Guide to AutoCAD Basics

In this section, you’ll find a comprehensive technical AutoCAD tutorial which includes all the basic commands you will need when creating 2D
drawings with AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT.

If you have just completed your AutoCAD training, or if you are comfortable with AutoCAD basics but would like a refresher, this is a great place to
start. The included commands are grouped together according to types of activity, and are arranged to follow a general workflow. The following
sections are covered:

Basics: Properties: Notes and Labels:

This section reviews the basic AutoCAD You can assign properties such as color Create notes, labels, bubbles, and callouts. Save
controls. and linetype to individual objects, or as and restore style settings by name.
Viewing: default properties assigned to layers.
Dimensions:
Pan and zoom in a drawing, and control Modifying: Create several types of dimensions and
the order of overlapping objects. Perform editing operations such as erase, save dimension settings by name.
Geometry: move, and trim on the objects in a drawing.
Printing:
Create basic geometric objects such as Blocks: Output a drawing layout to a printer, a
lines, circles, and hatched areas. Insert symbols and details into your plotter, or a file. Save and restore the
Precision: drawings from commercial online sources or printer settings for each layout.
Ensure the precision required for your from your own designs.
For questions, the product discussion group
models. Layouts: is a great resource, as is the AutoCAD blog.
Layers: Display one or more scaled views of your
Organize your drawing by assigning objects design on a standard-size drawing sheet
to layers. called a layout.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BASICS

Basics
Review the basic AutoCAD controls.

After you launch AutoCAD, click the Start Drawing button to begin a new drawing.

AutoCAD includes a standard tabbed ribbon across the top of the drawing area. 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, Undo, and so on. NOTE: If the Home tab is not the
current tab, go ahead and click it.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BASICS

The Command Window

At the heart of AutoCAD is the Command window, which is Notice that as you start to type a command, an autocomplete
normally docked at the bottom of the application window. The menu appears. When several options are available, such as in the
Command window displays prompts, options, and messages. example below, make your choice by clicking the correct option or
using the arrow keys and then pressing Enter or the Spacebar to
confirm your selection.

You can enter commands directly in the Command window instead

of using the ribbon, toolbars, and menus. Many long- time
AutoCAD users prefer this method.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BASICS

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

Here’s a Tip:
When looking for a command
or option, try right-clicking.
Depending on where your
cursor is located, different
menus will display relevant
commands and options.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BASICS

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:

The “Tutorial” template files in the list are examples of the

architectural or mechanical design templates using both imperial
(i) and metric (m) measurements. You might want to experiment with
• For imperial drawings that assume your units are inches, use them.
acad.dwt or acadlt.dwt.
Most companies use drawing template files that conform to
• For metric units that assume your units are millimeters, use company standards, and they will often use different drawing
acadiso.dwt or acadltiso.dwt. template files depending on the project or client.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BASICS

Create Your Own Drawing Template File

You can save any drawing (.dwg) file as a drawing template (.dwt) file. You can also open any existing
drawing template file, modify it, and then save it again with a different filename if needed.

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

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 template file.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BASICS

Units
When you first start a drawing, you need to 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 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.

Here’s a Tip:
If you need to change the
UNITS settings, make sure that
you save the drawing as a
Unit Display Settings drawing template file (.dwt).
Otherwise, you will need to
After you decide what unit of length that you want to use, the UNITS command lets you control change the UNITS settings for
several unit display settings including the following: each new drawing.

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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BASICS

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 can specify the scaling that is necessary to print a drawing on a standard-sized sheet later, when you
create the layout.

Recommendations
To open Help for information about the command in progress, 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.
Here’s a Tip:
Press Esc to cancel this
To cancel a command in progress or if you ever feel stuck, press Esc. For example, if you click in the
preselection operation.
drawing area before entering a command, you will see something like the following:
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: VIEWING

Viewing
Zoom in on a drawing to better control the order of overlapping objects. The

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

• Zoom in or out by rolling the wheel.

Here’s a Tip:
• Pan a view in any direction by holding the wheel down while moving your mouse.
When you zoom in or out,
• Zoom in on a specific area for greater detail holding your mouse over the area and clicking the wheel the location of the cursor is
twice. 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, zooming in
magnifies the dressing room
without shifting the view.

NOTE: If you cannot zoom or pan any

more, type REGEN in the Command
window and press Enter. This command
regenerates the drawing display and
resets the extents available for panning
and zooming.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: VIEWING

Overlapping Objects
If you create objects that overlap, you might need to change which The draw order options that are listed include sending all hatches to
objects are displayed on top or in front of the others. For example, the back, all text to the front, and so on.
if you want the yellow highway to cross the blue river rather than
the other way around, use the DRAWORDER command to reorder
the objects.

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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: GEOMETRY

Geometry
Create basic geometric objects such as lines, circles, and hatched areas. Notice the prompt in the Command window for a point
location.
You can create many different types of geometric objects in
AutoCAD, but you only need to know a few of them for most 2D
drawings.
NOTE: If you want to simplify the display while creating geometric objects, press F12
To specify the starting point for this line, you would type in the
to turn off dynamic input. coordinates 0,0. It is 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
Lines locations in the drawing area, however more efficient methods for
The line is the most basic and common object in AutoCAD drawings. specifying points are available, and will be presented in the Precision
To draw a line, click the Line tool. topic.

Alternatively, you can type LINE or just L in the Command window,

and then press Enter or the Spacebar.

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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: GEOMETRY

The User Coordinate System Lines as Construction Aids

The user coordinate system (UCS) icon indicates the direction of the Lines can serve as reference and construction geometry such as:
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 • Property line setbacks
drawings, it can be convenient to click, drag, and rotate the UCS to
• The mirror line of a symmetrical mechanical part
change the origin point, and the horizontal and vertical directions.
• Clearance lines to avoid interferences

• Traversal path lines

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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: GEOMETRY

Circles
The default option of the CIRCLE command requires you to Alternatively, you can also enter CIRCLE or just C in the
specify a center point and a radius. 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.

Circles can be useful as reference geometry. For example, you can

The other circle options are available from the drop-down: see that the two doors in the illustration can interfere with each
other.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: GEOMETRY

Polylines and Rectangles

A polyline is a connected sequence of line or arc segments that is Polylines can have a constant width or they can have different starting
created as a single object. 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

Use the PLINE command to create open or closed polylines for: created with wide polylines. The landing pads were created with the
• Geometry that requires fixed-width segments DONUT command.

• 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

• Process and piping diagrams

GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: GEOMETRY

Polylines and Rectangles (continued)

Polylines can have different starting and ending widths for each Simply click two diagonal points for the rectangle as illustrated. If
segment as shown here: you use this method, turn on grid snap (F9) for precision.

A fast way to create closed rectangular polylines is to use the

RECTANG command (enter REC in the Command window).
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: GEOMETRY

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.

Here’s a Tip:
If you set a solid or gradient fill
hatch pattern, also consider
setting a transparency level
When you start the HATCH command, the ribbon temporarily displays the Hatch Creation tab. On this tab, on the Hatch Creation tab for
you can choose from over 70 industry-standard imperial and ISO hatch patterns along with many specialized interesting overlap effects.
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 must specify the scale factor for the hatch in order 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:
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: GEOMETRY

Hatches and Fills (continued)

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

Here’s a 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.

NOTE: If an area is not completely

enclosed, red circles appear to indicate
potential gaps. Enter REDRAW in the
Command window to dismiss the red
circles.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PRECISION

Precision
Ensure the precision required for your models. Polar Tracking
There are several precision features available, including: When you need to specify a point, such as when you create a line,
you can use polar tracking to guide the movement of your cursor in
Polar tracking: Snap to the closest preset angle and specify a
certain directions.
distance along that angle.
For example, after you specify the first point of the line below,
Locking angles: Lock to a single, specified angle and specify
move your cursor to the right, and then enter a distance in the
a distance along that angle.
Command window to specify a precise horizontal length for the
Object snaps: Snap to precise locations on existing objects, line.
such as an endpoint of a polyline, the midpoint of a line, or
the center point of a circle.

Grid snaps: Snap to increments on a rectangular grid.

Coordinate entry: Specify a location by its Cartesian or polar

coordinates, either absolute or relative.

The three most commonly used features are polar tracking, locking
angles, and object snaps. By default, polar tracking is turned on and guides your cursor in a
horizontal or vertical direction (0 or 90 degrees).
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PRECISION

Locking Angles
If you need to draw a line at a specified angle, you can lock the Object snaps become available during a command whenever
angle for the next point. For example, if the second point of a line AutoCAD prompts you to specify a point. For example, if you
needs to be created at a 45 degree angle, you would enter ‘<45’ in start a new line and move your cursor near the endpoint of an
the Command window. existing line, the cursor will automatically snap to it.

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 for you 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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PRECISION

Set Default Object Snaps

Enter the OSNAP command to set the default object snaps, which Recommendations
are also called “running” object snaps. For example, you might
find it useful to turn on the Midpoint object snap by default. At any prompt for a point, you can specify a single object
snap that overrides all other object snap settings. 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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PRECISION

Object Snap Tracking

During a command, you can align points both horizontally and After you enter DIST, click the endpoint on the corner (1). Next, hold
vertically from object snap locations. In the following illustration, down Shift as you right-click, and then choose Perpendicular from the
you first hover over endpoint 1 and then hover over endpoint object snap menu. Finally, click the circle (2).
2. When you move your cursor near location 3, the cursor locks into
the horizontal and vertical location shown.

You can now finish creating the line, circle, or other object that you
were creating from that location.
The number of decimal places and unit style displayed in the result is
Verify Your Work controlled by the UNITS command.

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.
 GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PRECISION

Handy Function Key Reference

All keyboard function keys have assignments in AutoCAD. The ones that are most commonly turned on and off
are indicated with a key.

Key Feature Description

F1 Help Displays Help for the active tooltip, command palette, or dialog box.

F2 Expanded History Displays expanded command history in the Command Window.

F3 Object Snap Turns object snap on and off.

F4 3D Object Snap Turns on additional object snaps for 3D elements.

F5 Isoplane Cycles through 2-1/2D isoplane settings.

F6 Dynamic UCS Turns on UCS alignment with planar surfaces.

F7 Grid Display Turns the grid display on and off.

F8 Ortho Locks cursor movement to horizontal or vertical.

F9 Grid Snap Restricts cursor movement to specified grid intervals. NOTE: F8 and F10 are mutually
exclusive—turning either one on
F10 Polar Tracking Guides cursor movement to specified angles. will turn the other one off.

F11 Object Snap Tracking Tracks the cursor horizontally or vertically from object snap locations.

F12 Dynamic Input Displays distances and angles near the cursor and accepts input as you
use Tab between the fields.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYERS

Layers
Organize your drawing by assigning objects to layers. In the drawing below, the doors and electrical wiring were
temporarily hidden by hiding their layers.
When a drawing becomes visually complex, you can hide objects that
you currently do not need to see.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYERS

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

Important:
Resist the temptation to create
everything on one layer. Layers
are the most important organizing
feature available in AutoCAD
drawings.
With layers, you can:

• Associate objects by their function or location

• Display or hide all objects related to a single operation

• Enforce linetype, color, and other property standards for each layer
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYERS
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYERS

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.

Here’s what the Layer Properties Manager displays for this drawing.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYERS

As indicated, 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 indicates that it is the current layer.

In the column labeled On, notice that the light bulb icons for two layers are dark. This indicates that 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.

Here’s a 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.

Practical Recommendations Create a layer for behind-the-scenes construction geometry, reference

geometry, and notes that you usually do not need to see or print.
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 a layer for layout viewports. Information about layout viewports is
create your own layers with meaningful names. covered in the Layouts topic.

Any drawing that contains at least one dimension object Create a layer for all hatches and fills. This lets you to turn them all on or off
automatically includes a reserved layer named Defpoints. in one action.
 GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYERS
Layer Settings
The following are the most commonly used layer settings in the
Layer Properties Manager. Click the icon to turn the setting on
and off.

Turn Off Layers: This will help reduce

the visual complexity of your drawing
while you work.

Freeze Layers: Freeze layers that you do

not need to access for a while.
Freezing layers is similar to turning

COMMONLY USER LAYER SETTINGS

them off, but improves performance in
very large drawings.

Lock Layers: Locking layers prevents

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.

Set Default Properties: You can set the default properties for
each layer, including color, linetype, 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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYERS

Controls in the Layer Properties Manager

To create a new layer, click the button shown and enter the name of Occasionally, check to make sure that the objects you create will be on
the new layer. To make a different layer the current one, click the the correct layer. It’s easy to forget to do this, but it’s also easy to set.
layer and then click the indicated button. 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 layer setting icon in the list to change its setting.

Quick Access to Layer Settings

The Layer Properties Manager takes up a lot of space, and you may not
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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYERS

Maintain Your Standards

It’s important to either establish or 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 NOTE: Some experienced AutoCAD
departments. Layer standards are essential for team projects. users set properties only with layers,
while others set properties independently
If you create a standard set of layers and save them in a drawing template file, those layers will be of layers or in combination with layers.
Assigning properties to objects is
available when you start a new drawing, and you can start working immediately. Additional information covered in the Properties topic.
about drawing template files is presented in the Basics topic.

Summary
Layers organize your drawing, enabling you to temporarily hide unneeded graphical data. You can also
assign default properties such as color and linetype to each layer.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PROPERTIES

Properties
You can assign properties such as color and linetype 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 them.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PROPERTIES

The Properties Palette

The Properties palette is an essential tool. You can open it with the The Properties palette displays a list of all the important property
PROPERTIES command (enter PR in the Command settings. You can click any of the available fields to change the current
window), you can press Ctrl + 1, or you can click the tiny arrow in settings. In the following example, if no objects are selected, the
the Properties panel on the Home tab—whichever you prefer. current color will be changed from ByLayer to Red and the UCS icon
will be turned off.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PROPERTIES

Verify and Change Object Properties

You can 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.

NOTE: To clear the current selection,

press Esc.

Notice that the current properties for the selected object are displayed in the palette. You can change
any of these properties by clicking and changing the setting.

A property that is set to “ByLayer” inherits its setting from the 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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PROPERTIES

Quick Access to Property Settings Match the Properties of Objects

The Properties palette can take up a lot of space. For quick access to For a fast way to copy the properties of a selected object to
the most common properties, use the Properties panel. As you can see other objects, use the Match Properties tool, or enter
in this example, the listed properties will all be determined by the MATCHPROP or MA in the Command window.
current layer.

The Properties panel works the same way as the Properties palette. Select the source object, and then select all of the objects that you want
When you select an object, the current property settings are replaced to modify.
by the properties assigned to the selected object, and you can use this
panel to easily change the properties of one or more selected
objects.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PROPERTIES

Linetypes
Dashed and other non-continuous linetypes are assigned from the 4. Once you’ve loaded the linetypes that you plan to use, you
Properties panel. You must first load a linetype before you can can select any object and specify a linetype from the Properties
assign it. panel or the Properties palette. Alternatively, you can specify a
In the Linetype drop-down list, click Other. default linetype for any layer in the Layer Properties Manager.

This action displays the Linetype Manager dialog box.

Perform the following steps in order:

1. Click Load. Choose one or more linetypes that you want to use.
Notice that dashed (non-continuous) linetypes come in several
preset sizes.

2. Click Show/Hide details to display additional settings.

3. Specify a different “global scale factor” for all linetypes—the

larger the value, the longer the dashes and spaces. Click OK.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PROPERTIES

Lineweights
The Lineweight property provides a way to display different thicknesses for selected objects. The thickness of
the lines remains constant regardless of the scale of the view. In a layout, lineweights are always displayed
and printed in real-world units. Lineweights can also be assigned from the Properties panel.

Here’s a Tip:
It’s usually best to leave
lineweights turned off while
You can leave the lineweight set to ByLayer, or you can specify a value that overrides the layer’s you work. Heavy lineweights
lineweight. In some cases, the lineweight previews look the same because they are displayed in can obscure nearby objects when
approximated pixel widths on a monitor. However, they will print at the correct thickness. you use object snaps. You
might want to turn them on for
To control the display of lineweights, click the Lineweight Settings button at the bottom of the lineweight
checking purposes just before
list. In the Lineweight Settings dialog box, you can choose whether you want to display or hide
you print.
lineweights.

Regardless of the display setting, lineweights will always be printed at the correct scale.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

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

The most common modifying 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 NOTE: Alternatively, before you enter any
Erase tool. When you see the cursor change to a square pickbox, click each object that you want to erase, command, you can select several objects
and then press the Delete key. Experienced
and then press Enter or the Spacebar.
users often use this method as well.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Select Multiple Objects

Sometimes you may 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).

Here’s a 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
• With a crossing selection, any objects within or touching the green area are selected.
want to remove. Then, press
• With a window selection, only the objects completely contained within the blue area are Enter or the Spacebar, or right
selected. click to end the selection
process.
The result is called the selection set, which is the set of objects that will be processed by a
command.
NOTE: Clicking and dragging results in
a different selection method called lasso
selection.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Move and Copy

Here’s how you would use the COPY command to lay out a row of The Distance Method
decorative tiles. Starting with a polyline that represents its shape,
you need to make copies that are 1/8” apart. The second tile needs to be a total of 9-7/8” + 1/8” = 10” to the
right of the original tile. Start by selecting the tile, pressing Enter or
the Spacebar to end your selection, and clicking anywhere in the
drawing area (1). This point does not have to be located on the tile.

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 which is more convenient. You will use these two
methods frequently.
Next, 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 a point (1) is applied to the
tile that you selected.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Move and Copy (continued)

The Two Points Method

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

Here’s a Tip:
The two points that define the
distance and direction don’t
need to be located on the
object that you want to copy.
You can use two points
Next, to add the 1/8” space between the tiles, click the Move tool or enter M in the Command window. specified anywhere in your
The MOVE command is similar to the COPY command. Select the newly copied tile, and press Enter or model.
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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Create Multiple Copies

You can use the two-point method as a repeating sequence. Let’s say For larger numbers of copies, try experimenting with the Array option
that you want to make more copies of the circle at the same of the COPY command. For example, here’s a linear arrangement of
horizontal distance. Enter the COPY command and select the circle deep foundation piles. From a base point, you specify number of
as shown. copies and the center-to-center distance.

Then, using the Center object snap, click the center of circle 1,
followed by the center of circle 2, and so on.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

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.
Here’s a Tip:
A fast way to create concentric circles is
to offset them.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Trim and Extend

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

Here’s a Tip:
A faster method is to press
In the following illustration, you want to extend the lines that represent the steps for this deck. Enter Enter or the Spacebar right
the EXTEND command, select the boundary, and then press Enter or the Spacebar. away instead of selecting any
boundary objects. The result is
that all objects are available as
possible boundaries.

Pressing Enter or the Spacebar indicates that you’ve finished selecting the boundaries, and that you’re
now ready to select the objects to be extended.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Trim and Extend (continued)

Next, select the objects to be extended (near the ends to be As you can see, the selected lines are extended to the boundary.
extended), and then press Enter or the Spacebar to end the
command.

The TRIM command follows the same steps, except that when you
select the objects to trim, you select the portions to trim away.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

Mirror
The following illustration comes from a tile project. The walls in this In the example below, begin the MIRROR command (or enter MI
residential bathroom are flattened out to be able to lay out the tile in the Command window), use window selection (1 and 2) to
pattern and estimate the number of tiles needed. 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.

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 Here’s a Tip:
on one wall and then mirror the wall across the center of the room.
Always look for symmetry to save yourself extra work,
even if the symmetry is not 100% identical.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

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

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.

Here’s a Tip:
If you specify 0 (zero) as the radius of the fillet (imagine a circle
shrinking to a radius of 0), the result trims or extends the selected
objects to a sharp corner.

To shorten the model by a specified amount, you’d move your cursor

to the left instead.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

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. Here’s a 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.

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

GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: MODIFYING

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 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 most editing operations using
grips.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BLOCKS

Blocks
Insert symbols and details into your drawings from commercial online Insert a Block
sources or from your own designs.
Typically, each of these blocks is an individual drawing file,
In AutoCAD, a block is a collection of objects that are combined into perhaps saved in a folder with similar drawing files. When you
a single named object. The following are some sample blocks at need to insert one into your current drawing file, use the INSERT
various scales. command (or enter I in the Command window).

Some of these blocks are realistic representations of objects, some are

symbols, and one of them is an architectural title block for a D-size
drawing.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BLOCKS

Insert a Block (continued)

The first time you insert the drawing as a block, you must click Notice that when you insert a block, it is attached to your cursor at
Browse to locate the drawing file. Make sure you organize your the point indicated. This location is called the insertion point. By
blocks into easy-to-find folders. default, the insertion point is the origin point (0,0) of the original
drawing.

After inserting the block, you can select it and a grip appears. You can
easily move and rotate this block using this grip.

Once inserted, the block definition is stored in your current drawing.

From then on, you can choose it from the Name drop- down list
without needing to click the Browse button.

In the following example, a drawing file is inserted into the current

Here’s a Tip:
drawing to provide a standard detail view.
The default settings in the Insert dialog box are usually NOTE: Inserting a drawing file as a block provides a static reference to the
acceptable. After you choose the block name, click OK, and then specified drawing. For a reference that automatically updates, you can attach
the drawing with the External References palette (XREF command) instead.
specify its location in your drawing. You can rotate it later, if
necessary.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BLOCKS

Create a Block Definition

Instead of creating a drawing file to be inserted as a block, you
might want to create a block definition directly in your current
drawing. Use this method if you do not plan to insert the block into
any other drawing. In that case, use the BLOCK command to create
the block definition.

You can enter the information for steps 3, 4, and 5 into the
Block Definition dialog box in any order.

For example, this is how you could create a module for a cubicle
design.

1. Create the objects for the block.

2. Start the BLOCK command.

3. Enter a name for the block, in this case Quad-Cube.

4. Select the objects that you created for the block (click 1 and 2).

5. Specify the block insertion point.

GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: BLOCKS

Create a Block Definition (continued)

After creating the block definition, you can insert, copy, and rotate the block as needed.

Here’s a Tip:
With online access, you can
download AutoCAD
drawing files from the web
Using the EXPLODE command, you can explode a block into its component objects if you need to make sites of commercial vendors
changes. In the illustration below, the cubicle on the right was exploded and modified. and suppliers. This can save
you time, but always check to
make sure that they are
drawn correctly and to scale.
Autodesk Seek (http://
seek.autodesk.com/) is a
convenient way of accessing
In this example, you would probably create a new block definition from the objects in the exploded block. BIM (building information
modeling) libraries.
Recommendations
There are several different schemes for saving and retrieving block definitions. NOTE: You can create block
definitions that include one or more
You can create an individual drawing file for each block that you intend to use. You save these drawing attributes that store and display
files in folders, each of which would contain a family of related drawing files. information. The
command that you would use is ATTDEF.
You can include the block definitions for title blocks and common symbols in your drawing template Typically, attributes include data such as
part number, name, cost, and date. You
files to make them available immediately when starting a new drawing.
can export block attribute information to
a table or to an external file.
You can create several drawing files, which are sometimes called block library drawings. Each 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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYOUTS

Layouts
Display one or more scaled views of your design on a standard- size After paper space was introduced, you could click a layout tab to
drawing sheet called a layout. access a space designed specifically for layouts and scaling. In the
following illustration, paper space is active. There are currently only
After you finish creating a model at full size, you can switch to a
two objects in paper space: a drawing border block, and a single
paper space layout to create scaled views of the model, and to add
layout viewport, which displays a view of model space.
notes, labels, and dimensions. You can also specify different linetypes
and line widths for display in paper space.

Model Space and Paper Space

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

Working with layout viewports is described in more detail later in

this topic.

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 the model space.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYOUTS

Four Methods for Scaling

There are four different methods in AutoCAD that are used to scale views, notes, labels, and dimensions. Each
method has its 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 NOTE: Many AutoCAD drawings
of the plot scale. With this method, scaling requires a little math. For example, a were created with this method, and
common scale used in architecture is 1/4” = 1’-0” which is 1:48 scale. If a note is to be printed 1/4” many companies still use it. Once
everything is set up, the method
high, then it must be created 48 times as large, or 12” high in model space. The same scale factor also
works well for 2D drawings with
applies to dimensions, and an ARCH D drawing border at that scale is 144 feet long. When the drawing is single views and inserted details.
printed as a D-size sheet, everything scales down to the correct size.

The Layout Method: You create geometry and annotate in model space, and 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 (using a special annotative style) in model space from the layout, and 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 dimension scale set to 1, and you print from the layout. This is arguably the easiest, most
direct method, and it is the method of choice for this guide.

Talk to other AutoCAD users in your discipline about these four methods and why they chose the method that
they use.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYOUTS

Specifying the Paper Size of a Layout

The first thing you should do when you access a layout tab (1) is Next, open the Page Setup Manager (4) to change the paper size
right-click the tab (2) and rename it (3) to something more displayed in the layout tab.
specific than Layout 1. For a D-size layout, ARCH D or ANSI D
might be good choices.

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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYOUTS

Layout Viewports
A layout viewport is an object that is created in paper space 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. In the illustration, model
space is active and accessible from within the current layout viewport.

Important:
You can switch between paper
space and model space by
double-clicking inside or
outside the layout viewport.
In a layout, when model space is active, you can pan and zoom, and anything else that you could do on the
Model tab. For example, let’s say that you created a backyard deck design in model space, and now you
NOTE: You can use the MVIEW (make
want to lay out and print your design from a layout tab. view) command to create additional
layout viewports in paper space. With
several layout viewports, you can display
several views of model space at the
same or at different scales.

The view in the layout viewport is not yet set to the correct scale.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYOUTS

Scaling Views and Trans-Spatial Annotation

Here are the steps to follow if you use the trans-spatial method of 6. In the Properties palette, specify a standard scale of 1/4” =
annotating your drawing: 1’-0” from the drop-down list. This action scales your view of
1. Click the layout tab. If you started the drawing with your own model space precisely to the D-size drawing. You should also set
custom drawing template file, several tasks might already have the Display Locked property from No to Yes, which will prevent
been completed: the layout might already be set to any unintentional display changes to the view.
D-size, and the title block might already have been inserted in the
layout.

2. By default, paper space is active, so double-click within the layout

viewport to make the model space active. Notice that the edge of
the layout viewport becomes thicker as a result of switching to
model space.

3. Zoom out and center the model space view by panning. Note that
the displayed view will not yet be set to the correct scale.

4. Double-click outside the layout viewport to make paper space

active again.

5. Open the Properties palette and then click to select the edge of the
layout viewport.
NOTE: By default, the dashes and spaces in a non-continuous linetype
appear the
same length regardless of the scale of the layout viewport.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: LAYOUTS

Scaling Views and Trans-Spatial Annotation

(continued)
7. Move the layout viewport as needed, and adjust its edges using
grips.

8. Create notes, labels, and dimensions directly in paper space. They

will automatically appear at the correct size.

9. Turn off the layer on which you created the layout viewport
object. This hides the edges of the layout viewport as shown
below.

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

NOTE: After you have finished dimensioning, you can use the EXPORTLAYOUT
command to merge everything in model and paper space into the model space of
a separate drawing file. This operation creates a drawing file that conforms to the
original method of creating the model and all annotations in model space.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: NOTES AND LABELS

Notes and Labels

Create notes, labels, bubbles, and callouts. Save and restore style All the usual controls are available in the In-Place Editor, including
settings by name. tabs, indents, and columns. Also notice that when you start the MTEXT
command, the ribbon temporarily changes, displaying many options
You can create general notes using the MTEXT command (or enter MT
such as text styles, columns, spell checking, and so on.
in the Command window), which stands for multiline text. The
multiline text tool is available on the Annotation panel. • 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.

Here’s a Tip:
You can use the Properties palette to control the text style used for
After you start the MTEXT command, you are prompted to one or more selected multiline text objects. For example, after
create a “text box” with two diagonal clicks. selecting five notes that use different styles, click the Style column
and choose a style from the list.

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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: NOTES AND LABELS

Create a Text Style

As with several other annotation features, multiline text provides a lot When you create a new text style, you will give it a name and then
of settings. You can save these settings as a text style choose a font and a font style. The order in which you click the
using the STYLE command, and then you can access the text styles buttons is shown below:
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.

Here’s a Tip:
Save any new or changed text styles in your
drawing template files. This will save you time by
making them available in all new drawings.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: NOTES AND LABELS

Multileaders
Multileader objects are used to create text with leader lines such as Grip menus appear when you hover over arrowhead and leader grips.
general labels, reference labels, bubbles, and callouts. 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
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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: NOTES AND LABELS

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.

NOTE: As with text styles, once you

create one or more multileader styles,
save them in your drawing template files.

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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: DIMENSIONS

Dimensions
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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: DIMENSIONS

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, press Enter or the Spacebar, select the line (1), and then click the location of the dimension line
(2).
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: DIMENSIONS

Linear Dimensions (continued)

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.

Here’s a 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
Use the DIM command to create dimensions that are parallel to an object by dragging the dimension line dimensioned is at an angle,
at an angle rather than horizontally or vertically. enter DIMROTATED for that
case.

Another Tip:
Because it is easy to accidentally
snap to the wrong feature or part
of a dimension object, be sure to
zoom
in closely enough to avoid
mistakes.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: DIMENSIONS

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.

Here’s a Tip:
If the changes are more
complicated than this, it might
be faster simply to delete and
then recreate the dimension.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: DIMENSIONS

Dimension Styles
Dimension styles help establish and enforce drafting standards. There To open the Dimension Style Manager, click the indicated button. You
are many dimension variables that can be set with the DIMSTYLE can create dimension styles that match nearly any standard, but you
command to control virtually every nuance of the appearance and will need to invest time into specifying them completely. For this
behavior of dimensions. All these settings are stored in each reason, you should save any dimension styles that you create in one or
dimension style. more drawing template files.
The default dimension style is named either Standard (imperial) or
ISO-25 (metric). It is assigned to all dimensions until another style is
set 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.

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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PRINTING

Printing
Output a drawing layout to a printer, a plotter, or a file. Save As you can see, there are many settings and options available.
and restore the printer settings for each layout.

Originally, people printed text from printers and plotted drawings

from plotters. Now, you can perform both with either device, so
this guide will use the terms ‘print’ and ‘plot’ interchangeably.

The command to output a drawing is PLOT and you can access it

from the Quick Access toolbar.

To display all of the options in the Plot dialog box, click the More
Options button.

For the sake of 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 grayscale, creating a PDF file from your drawing, and so
on.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PRINTING

Create a Page Setup

To open the Page Setup Manager, right-click on the Model tab or a When you are ready to plot, simply specify the name of the page setup
layout tab and choose Page Setup Manager. The command is in the Plot dialog box, and all your plot settings will be restored. In
PAGESETUP. the following illustration, the Plot dialog box is set to use the
Each layout tab in your drawing can have an associated page setup. Hitchhiker page setup, which will output a DWF (Design Web
This is convenient when you use more than one output device or Format) file rather than print to a plotter.
format, or if you have several layouts with different sheet sizes in
the same drawing.

Here’s a Tip:
You can save page setups in your drawing template files, or you
To create a new page setup, click New and enter the name of the can import them from other drawing files.
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
wish to save.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PRINTING

Output to a PDF File

The following example shows you how to create a page setup for The plot style table provides information about processing colors.
creating PDF files. Colors that look good on your monitor might not be suitable for a
From the Printer/plotter drop-down list, choose AutoCAD PDF PDF file or for printing. For example, you might want to create a
(General Documentation).pc3: drawing in color, but create monochrome output. Here is how
you specify monochrome output:

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 typically everything will be plotted.

Plot Offset: This setting changes based on your printer, Here’s a Tip:
plotter, or other output. Try centering the plot or adjusting the
Always double-check your settings with the Preview option.
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.
GUIDE TO AUTOCAD BASICS: PRINTING

Output to a PDF File (continued)

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 you need to do is click Print, choose the PDF-
monochrome page setup, and click OK.

Recommendations
If you want to share a static image of your drawing, you
can output a PDF file from a drawing file.

If you want to include additional data from your drawing,

use DWF (Design Web Format) files instead.

If you want to review an AutoCAD drawing file with a person

in a different location, consider using Autodesk A360 and the
AutoCAD 360 web and mobile applications, which you can
The resulting Preview window includes a toolbar with several controls,
access from the Autodesk website.
including Plot and Exit.