AutoCAD Drawing Commands

These AutoCAD commands are essential for creating precise geometric shapes. Mastering them can
significantly increase your productivity in CAD design.

Full Form Command Description

It is used to draw a straight line between two points. Simply type

“LINE” into the command line and select the starting point. Then,
select the endpoint. You can also specify the length and angle of
Line L the line by typing in specific values.

It draws a circle or an arc. To use this command, type “CIRCLE”

into the command line and specify the center point and radius. You
Circle C can also create an arc by specifying the start and end angles.

It draws an arc of a circle. To use this command, type “ARC” into

the command line. Then, specify the center point, radius, and start
Arc A and end angles.

This creates a parallel line or curve at a specific distance from an

existing line or curve. To use this command, type “OFFSET” into
the command line and select the object you want to offset. Lastly,
Offset O specify the distance.

The TRIM command trims off parts of an object that extend

beyond another object. To use this command, type “TRIM” into
the command line and select the objects you want to trim. Then,
Trim TR select the object that will be used as the cutting edge.

The EXTEND command extends an object to meet another object.

To use this command, type “EXTEND” into the command line and
select the object you want to extend. Then, select the object that
Extend EX will be used as the boundary edge.

The FILLET command rounds off the corners of two intersecting

objects. To use this command, type “FILLET” into the command
line, select the first object, and select the second object. Then,
Fillet F specify the radius of the fillet.

It creates a beveled edge between two intersecting objects. To use

this command, type “CHAMFER” into the command line, select
the first object, and select the second object. Then, specify the
Chamfer CHA distance and angle of the chamfer.

This command is used to create a mirror image of an object. To

use this command, type “MIRROR” into the command line and
Mirror MI select the object you want to mirror. Finally, select the mirror line.
 The ARRAY command creates a pattern of multiple objects. To
use this command, type “ARRAY” into the command line, select
the object you want to duplicate, and specify the number of rows
Array AR and columns. Lastly, specify the spacing between the objects.

The RECTANGLE command draws rectangles. To use this

command, type “RECTANGLE” in the command line. Specify the
Rectangle REC first corner point and then specify the opposite corner point.

The POLYLINE command draws a series of connected lines and

arcs. To use this command, type “POLYLINE” in the command
Polyline PL line and specify the first point.

The HATCH command fills an enclosed area with a pattern. To

use this command, type “HATCH” in the command line and select
Hatch BH/H the area to be hatched. Then, specify the hatch pattern and scale.

The DIMENSION command adds dimensions to your drawing. To

use this command, type “DIMENSION” in the command line and
select the objects to be dimensioned. Then, specify the location
Dimension DIMENSION and type of dimension.

The MTEXT command adds multiline text to your drawing. To

use this command, type “MTEXT” in the command line and
Mtext MT specify the insertion point. Then, enter your text.

Appends one object to another by combining them. To use this

command, type ”AP” in the command line and specify the two
Append AP objects.

Layout LO Creates and modifies various drawing layout tabs.

Multiple
Lines ML Draws multiple parallel lines.

Constructs a polygon. To use this command, type “POL” and

Polygon POL specify the number of edges and the center.

Ray RA Draws a ray from a particular point.

Stretches an object up to a specified point. To use this command,

Stretch ST type “ST” and specify the point you want to stretch the object to.

Inserts a table in the drawing. To use this command, type “TB”

and specify the number of rows and columns you want in your
Table TB table.

Extended XL Creates a line. To use this command, type “XL” and specify the
 Line length of the line you want to draw.

AutoCAD Modifying Commands

The following commands let you experiment with the properties and make necessary design changes.

Full Form Command Description

This command allows you to insert or manage content,

such as blocks, hatch patterns, and xrefs. You can access
the content from a single dialog box, making it easier to
Adcenter ADC find and use.

This command allows you to align objects with other

objects in 2D and 3D. You can align them based on
Align AL different criteria, such as endpoints, centers, and edges.

This command allows you to alter the base point of a

drawing without changing its origin. You can move the
Base BASE base point to a different location.

This command allows you to add a parameter with grips

to a dynamic block definition. You can use this command
B Parameter PARAM to make a block more flexible.

This command allows you to create a break (or gaps) in

objects at one or two points. You can use this command
Break BR to break up a line or object into smaller parts.

This command allows you to save the current block

Bsave BS definition.

This command allows you to explode a block but retain

its attribute settings and layer definition. You can use this
Burst BURST command to convert a block back into individual objects.

This command allows you to copy an object according to

a base point. You can use this command to make a copy
Copybase COPYBASE of an object.

This command allows you to divide objects into multiple

equal parts. You can use this command to create evenly-
Divide DIV spaced points or lines.

This command allows you to open the Layer Properties

Layers LA Manager Palette.
Match This command allows you to copy the properties of one
properties MA object onto another.

This command allows you to move, copy, rotate, and

Mocoro MOCORO scale an object in one command.

This command allows you to remove overlapping or

Overkill OVERKILL unnecessary objects from your work.

This command allows you to remove unused objects from

Purge PU a drawing.

This command allows you to change the scale of an

object. You can use this command to resize an object
Scale SC without changing its proportions.

This command allows you to change the scale of the text.

Scaletext SCALETEXT You can use it to resize text to fit a specific space.

This command allows you to alter the size of a piece of

Textfit TEXTFIT text. You can use it to resize text to fit a specific area.

Texttofront TEXTTOFRONT Brings annotations to the front.

Torient TORIENT Changes the orientation of the text.

Trim TR Trims a shape or line.

Units UN Alters the unit settings of your drawing.

Breaks up an object into its individual components; for

Explode X example, a polyline into simple lines.

Xbind XB Binds the definitions of named objects in an xref.

Delete DL Deletes a particular object from the drawing.

Gradient Fill GD Fills a specific area with a gradient effect.

Group G Groups multiple objects into a single one.

Moves an object to another location after selecting the

Move M object and specifying the new location.

Creates a new object by joining or overlapping the

Join J existing objects.

Lwpolylineedit LWE Edits a lightweight polyline by adding or removing vertex

 points.

Regenerates the drawing while taking into consideration

Regen RE the existing updates.

Rename REN Renames the layers and blocks inside the drawing.

Undo U Undoes the previous command.

AutoCAD Dimensioning Commands

Dimensioning commands in AutoCAD help the user to decide size and spatial relationships of
objects. Let us explore some of these essential commands here:

Full Form Command Description

Dimstyle D It allows the creation and modification of dimension styles.

It enables adding radius dimensions (distance from the center of a

Dimradius DRA circle or arc to the circumference).

It allows adding angular dimensions to your drawings. The

Dimangular DAN measurements are added in degrees, minutes, and seconds.

Dimdiamete
r DDI It allows adding diameter dimensions to circles or arcs.

It allows defining a base point, which can be used to measure

Dimordinate DOR perpendicular distances of other points from the baseline.

Dimbaseline DBA It enables the user to define a baseline dimension.

It allows the user to add annotation leaders with text to drawings. It

Qleader LE is useful in providing extra information.

Measure ME It measures the dimension of an object.

Mouse Wheel

Zooming and panning in AutoCAD can be done entirely

with the mouse wheel. Point the cursor to where you
would like to zoom and turn the mouse wheel to zoom in
and out. You can also pan by clicking and dragging with
the mouse wheel, using it as you would a mouse button.
When you press down and click with the mouse wheel,
the cursor will turn into a hand icon and the Pan
command will temporarily be activated. As long as the
scroll wheel is pressed down, you can drag the mouse to
change your view position without zooming or moving
any objects. If you double–click with the mouse wheel,
you will activate the Zoom Extents command. This will
zoom out or in to fit all of the objects in your drawing to
the edges of the screen so you can see the entire
drawing. If you click and drag with the mouse wheel,
you will shift to a 3D orbit view, which is not
recommended in 2D drawing. You can zoom or pan with
the mouse wheel without interrupting whatever
command you may be using at the time you zoom or pan.
Because the mouse wheel is so versatile, many users
use it exclusively for zooming and panning. It’s highly
recommended that you always use a mouse when
drawing with AutoCAD, even if you are on a laptop with
a trackpad.

Navigation Bar

You can access additional navigation tools with the

Navigation Bar. Most of the Navigation Bar commands
are for use in 3D modeling, but if you are not using a
mouse it offers easy access to the Pan tool or
the Zoom Extents tool . If you click the arrow
beneath the Zoom Extents icon, you will open a
dropdown menu that can access all the options of the
Zoom command. Like the mouse wheel, when you can
use the commands on the Navigation Bar without
interrupting other commands, but you may have to
press Enter or Escape to exit the commands. You can
also deactivate the Navigation Bar to save screen space
and prevent accidentally starting commands by clicking
on the small x on the top-right corner of the Navigation
Bar, or pressing the Navigation Bar button on
the Viewport Tools panel in the View tab of
the Ribbon, which can also be used to restore the
Navigation Bar.

View Cube

The View Cube located in the upper-right corner of the

screen is designed for use in 3D modeling. In 2D
drawing, you should remain in a top-down parallel view.
If you accidentally shift from that view position, you can
click on the Top view of the View Cube icon to get
back to the top down view. You may need to click on the
curved arrows on the top-right corner of the View Cube
to reorient the XY axis position. You can also reset the
UCS origin to its default position by clicking the
dropdown menu at the bottom of the View Cube and
selecting WCS (World Coordinate System) You can
deactivate the View Cube button on the Viewport
Tools panel on the Ribbon. However, the View Cube
display setting saves only with the file you are in, so if
you open another file where the View Cube was visible
when it was saved, the View Cube will return. For this
reason, you will want to be sure to select the desired
View Cube display setting when saving drawing files and
drawing template files.

ZOOM Command (Z)

You can also access the Zoom command with the

keyboard by entering its alias, Z. There are many
options within the Zoom command, but the most
common are Extents, which was explained
earlier, Window, which will allow you to specify a
window to zoom to by clicking with your mouse, and All,
which will zoom to the drawing limits. Drawing limits is
an area specified by the Limits command, which will be
explained in a later chapter and is usually established in
a template. If you can’t zoom out far enough to see all
the objects in your drawing with the mouse wheel, it’s
because your drawing limits are too small. You can
correct this problem by using Zoom Extents to see all
of your objects. Entering the Zoom command with the
keyboard can be useful if you are working on a laptop
without a mouse because you can simply
press Z Enter E Enter for Zoom Extents
or Z Enter A Enter for Zoom All.

Undoing & Redoing Zoom

Unlike other programs, Undo and Redo will affect

Zooming and Panning as well as will other commands.
This can potentially cause problems if you are undoing
steps and zoom or pan before redoing. If you enter any
command including zoom after you have undone other
commands, you will not be able to redo them. Therefore,
it is not recommended that you Zoom or Pan whilst
using Undo and Redo.