Provides a quick guide to which commands are changed in this release.
| Updated commands | Description | How changed | AutoCAD | AutoCAD LT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3DORBIT | Rotates the view in 3D space, but constrained to horizontal and vertical orbit only. | The Realistic visual style maintains the new Exposure setting of the active viewport when orbiting the model. | X | |
| ADCENTER | Manages and inserts content such as blocks, xrefs, and hatch patterns. | DesignCenter Online has been fully replaced by Autodesk Seek. | X | X |
| ANIPATH | Saves an animation of a camera moving or panning in a 3D model. | The Realistic visual style maintains the new Exposure setting of the active viewport when creating an animation. | X | |
| BACKGROUND | Defines the type, color, effects and position of the background for a named view. | Support for image-based lighting (IBL) was added. | X | |
| DIM | Creates multiple types of dimensions within a single command session. | In earlier releases, DIM was used to access the Dimensioning mode commands. | X | X |
| DISTANTLIGHT | Creates a distant light. | Generic lighting (LIGHTINGUNITS = 0) is no longer supported. Light calculations performed by the new renderer might affect the intensity factor you specify when creating a new light. |
X | |
| FREESPOT | Creates a free spotlight which is a spotlight without a specified target. | Generic lighting (LIGHTINGUNITS = 0) is no longer supported. Light calculations performed by the new renderer might affect the intensity factor you specify when creating a new light. |
X | |
| FREEWEB | Creates a free web light which is a web light without a specified target. | Generic lighting (LIGHTINGUNITS = 0) is no longer supported. Light calculations performed by the new renderer might affect the intensity factor you specify when creating a new light. |
X | |
| OPTIONS, Online tab | Sets options for working online with Autodesk A360, and provides access to the design documents that you have stored in your cloud account. | Automatic saving to your A360 Drive has been removed. Instead, save or copy the drawing files that you want to upload to your A360 account directly to your local A360 Drive folder. | X | X |
| PAGESETUP | Controls the page layout, plotting device, paper size, and other settings for each new layout. | Render presets created in earlier releases are no longer supported; only render presets created in AutoCAD 2016 are supported. | X | X |
| PLOT | Plots a drawing to a plotter, printer, or file. | Render presets created in earlier releases are no longer supported; only render presets created in AutoCAD 2016 are supported. | X | X |
| POINTLIGHT | Creates a point light that radiates light in all directions from its location. | Generic lighting (LIGHTINGUNITS = 0) is no longer supported. Light calculations performed by the new renderer might affect the intensity factor you specify when creating a new light. |
X | |
| RENDER (-RENDER) |
Creates a photorealistic or realistically shaded image of a 3D solid or surface model. | The render engine was replaced with a new physical based renderer. | X | |
| RENDERENVIRONMENT | Displays the Render Environment & Exposure palette. Controls image-based lighting and photographic exposure for a rendered image. | Now displays the Render Environment & Exposure palette instead of the Render Environment dialog box. | X | |
| RENDEREXPOSURE | Displays the Render Environment & Exposure palette. Controls image-based lighting and photographic exposure for a rendered image. | Now displays the Render Environment & Exposure palette instead of the Adjust Rendered Exposure dialog box. | X | |
| RENDERPRESETS (-RENDERPRESETS) |
Displays the Render Presets Manager palette and manages the render presets of a drawing. | Now displays the Render Presets Manager palette instead of the Render Presets Manager dialog box. -RENDERPRESETS doesn't allow you to manage the render presets created in earlier releases; only render presets created in AutoCAD 2016. |
X | |
| RENDERWIN | Displays the Render window without starting a rendering operation. | Design of the dialog box was revised, and the information shown is related to the new renderer. | X | |
| REVCLOUD | Creates a revision cloud. | New options for modifying an existing revision cloud and creating rectangular and polygonal revision cloud have been added. Rectangular is the new default revision cloud creation method. | X | X |
| RPREF | Displays the Render Presets Manager palette and manages the render presets of a drawing. | Now displays the Render Presets Manager palette instead of the Advanced Render Presets palette. | X | |
| SECTIONPLANE | Creates a section object that acts as a cutting plane through 3D objects and point clouds. | A new type of section object, slice, has been added for point cloud objects. | X | |
| SECURITYOPTIONS | Controls the security restrictions for running executable files in AutoCAD. | Revises and adds security controls. Removes the Digital Signature tab, moving the controls to the new DIGITALSIGN command. | X | |
| SPOTLIGHT | Creates a spotlight that emits a directional cone of light. | Generic lighting (LIGHTINGUNITS = 0) is no longer supported. Light calculations performed by the new renderer might affect the intensity factor you specify when creating a new light. |
X | |
| TARGETPOINT | Creates a target point light. | Generic lighting (LIGHTINGUNITS = 0) is no longer supported. Light calculations performed by the new renderer might affect the intensity factor you specify when creating a new light. |
X | |
| UCS | Sets the origin and orientation of the current user coordinate system (UCS). | Support included for point clouds. When hovering over a point cloud, the origin of the UCS is moved to the nearest point of the point cloud object. In a segmented point cloud, the XY axis of the UCS aligns to the XY plane of a planar segment. | X | X |
| WEBLIGHT | Creates a precise 3D representation of the light intensity distribution of a light source. | Light calculations performed by the new renderer might affect the intensity factor you specify when creating a new light. | X | |
| VIEW | Saves and restores named model space views, layout views, and preset views. | Support for image-based lighting (IBL) was added. | X | X |
| -VPORTS | Creates multiple viewports in model space or in a layout (paper space). | Render presets created in earlier releases are no longer supported; only render presets created in AutoCAD 2016 are supported. | X | X |
| Updated system variables | Description | How changed | AutoCAD | AutoCAD LT |
| 3DOSMODE | Sets running 3D object snaps. | New 3D object snaps are added for working with point clouds: PINT, PEDGE, PPEDGE, PCOR, PCL. | X | |
| RENDERPREFSSTATE | Indicates whether the Render Presets Manager palette is open or closed. | Now indicates the display of the Render Presets Manager palette instead of the Advanced Render Presets palette. | X | |
| SMOOTHMESHMAXFACE | Sets the maximum number of faces permitted for mesh objects. | The minimum value has been changed from 1 to 108. | X |
| Updated commands | Description | How changed | AutoCAD | AutoCAD LT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3DPAN | When a drawing is in a Perspective view, starts the interactive 3D view and enables you to drag the view horizontally and vertically. | No longer supports isolation of selected objects when panning. | X | |
| ARCHIVE | Packages the current sheet set files for storage. | Removes the capability for creating EXE files due to security concerns. Files can only be packaged into ZIP files. The ability to add a password has also been removed. | X | X |
| ATTACH | Inserts references to external files such as other drawings, raster images, and underlays. | Removes support for legacy PCG and ISD files. | X | X |
| CLIP | Crops selected objects such as blocks, external references, images, viewports, and underlays to a specified boundary. | No longer supports clipping of point clouds. For point clouds, use POINTCLOUDCROP. | X | X |
| DWGCONVERT | Converts drawing format version for selected drawing files. | Removes the capability for creating EXE files due to security concerns. Files can only be packaged into ZIP files. The ability to add a password has also been removed. | X | X |
| ETRANSMIT | Packages a set of files for Internet transmission. | Removes the capability for creating EXE files due to security concerns. Files can only be packaged into .ZIP files. The ability to add a password has also been removed. | X | X |
| GEOGRAPHICLOCATION | Assigns geographic location information to a drawing file. | Prompts and the dynamic display behavior when specifying the location of the geographic marker and the north direction have changed. | X | X |
| GEOREORIENTMARKER | Changes the north direction and position of the geographic marker in model space, without changing its latitude and longitude. | Prompts and the dynamic display behavior when specifying the location of the geographic marker and the north direction have changed. | X | X |
| GRAPHICSCONFIG | Provides access to display performance-related options. | Now displays the Graphics Performance dialog box. | X | X |
| IMAGEADJUST | Controls the brightness, contrast, and fade values of images. | Enhanced to apply to map images. | X | X |
| MTEXT | Creates a multiline text object. | Adds subscripting and superscripting features, and Caps Lock detection. Enhances options for creating numbered and bulleted lists and automatic text stacking. | ||
| OPTIONS | Customizes the program settings. | In the System tab, Balloon Notifications, removes the option to display live update notifications. Live updates are now managed by the Autodesk Application Manager. | X | X |
| OVERKILL | Removes duplicate or overlapping lines, arcs, and polylines. Also, combines partially overlapping or contiguous ones. | Can now be used in the Block Editor. | X | X |
| POINTCLOUDATTACH | Inserts an indexed rcs (single scan) or rcp (multiple scan project) file from Autodesk ReCap in the current drawing. | Removes support for legacy PCG and ISD files. | X | X |
| PURGE | Removes unused items, such as block definitions and layers, from the drawing. | Adds support for removing orphaned data such as DGN linestyles. | X | X |
| SECURITYOPTIONS | Specifies password or digital signature options for a drawing file. | No change in this release, but the ability to add a password to a drawing will be removed in the next release of AutoCAD because it does not meet contemporary security standards. You will continue to be able to open password-protected files. | X | X |
| WELCOMESCREEN | Displays the Welcome window when you start the program. | Now displays a New Tab. | X | X |
| Updated system variables | Description | How changed | AutoCAD | AutoCAD LT |
| 3DOSMODE | Determines which 3D object snaps are enabled. | Adds control of 3D object snaps for point clouds. | X | |
| DIMCONTINUEMODE | Determines whether the dimension style and layer of a continued or baseline dimension is inherited from the dimension that is being continued. | Layer of continued dimension is inherited. | X | X |
| FRAME | Controls the display of frames for all images, map images, underlays, clipped xrefs, and wipeout objects. | Enhanced to apply to map images. | X | X |
| IMAGEFRAME | Controls whether image frames are displayed and plotted. | Enhanced to apply to map images. | X | X |
| OSOPTIONS | Controls whether objects snaps are suppressed on hatch objects, geometry with negative Z values, or dimension extension lines. | End points of dimension extension lines are ignored by default. | X | X |
| PICKAUTO | Controls automatic windowing for object selection. | Adds Lasso (window and crossing) selection, enabled by default. | X | X |
| POINTCLOUDAUTOUPDATE | Controls whether a legacy point cloud is regenerated automatically after manipulation, panning, zooming, or orbiting. | Applies only to legacy (pre-AutoCAD 2015) point cloud objects. | X | X |
| POINTCLOUDBOUNDARY | Controls whether the point cloud bounding box is displayed. | Added an option to display the bounding box only when the point cloud is selected. | X | X |
| POINTCLOUDCACHESIZE | Specifies amount of memory (in megabytes) that the internal processing engine will use for point clouds. | Value can now be changed to an integer expressing a number of megabytes. | X | X |
| POINTCLOUDCLIPFRAME | Determines whether point cloud clipping boundaries for legacy (PCG, ISD and RCP) point clouds are visible or plotted in the current drawing. | Now affects only legacy point clouds. | X | X |
| POINTCLOUDDENSITY | Controls the percentage of points displayed for all legacy point clouds in the drawing view. | Applies only to legacy (pre-AutoCAD 2015) point cloud objects. | X | X |
| POINTCLOUDPOINTMAX | Sets the maximum number of points that can be displayed for all point clouds attached to the drawing. | Default (and maximum) value now 10 million points. Does not affect legacy (pre-AutoCAD 2015) point clouds. | X | X |
| POINTCLOUDRTDENSITY | Improves performance by degrading the number of points displayed while zooming, panning, or orbiting. | Applies only to legacy (pre-AutoCAD 2015) point cloud objects. | X | X |
| PREVIEWFILTER | Excludes specified object types from selection previewing. | Default value changed from 7 to 3. | X | X |
| SELECTIONPREVIEWLIMIT | Limits the number of objects that can display preview highlighting during a window or crossing selection. | Default value changed from 2000 to 20000. | X | X |
| SPACESWITCH | Controls whether model space can be accessed by double-clicking in a layout viewport. | Exposes a previously undocumented system variable that can be useful when annotating in paper space. | X | |
| STARTUP | Controls what displays when the application is started, or when a new drawing is opened. | Updated to support the New Tab design. | X | X |
| STATUSBAR | Controls the display of the status bar. | The application and drawing status bars are merged. | X | X |
| Updated commands | Description | How changed | AutoCAD | AutoCAD LT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARC | Creates an arc. | Adds the ability to create arcs in a clockwise direction by holding down the Ctrl key as you drag. | X | X |
| CHAMFER | Bevels the edges of objects. | Now chamfers the first and last segments of an open polyline to create a closed object. | X | X |
| CONVERTPSTYLES | Converts the current drawing to either named or color-dependent plot styles. | Now retains spaces in the names of converted plot styles. | X | X |
| DIMBASELINE | Creates a linear, angular, or ordinate dimension from the baseline of the previous or selected dimension. | By default, the baseline dimension now inherits the style of the dimension that is being continued. This setting is affected by DIMCONTINUEMODE. | X | X |
| DIMCONTINUE | Creates a dimension that starts from an extension line of a previously created dimension. | By default, the continued dimension now inherits the style of the dimension that is being continued. This setting is affected by DIMCONTINUEMODE. | X | X |
| EXTERNALREFERENCES | Opens the External References palette, which manages external references in the drawing. | Adds the ability to convert xrefs between overlays and attachments. Adds the ability to change a path to be absolute. |
X | X |
| FILLET | Rounds and fillets the edges of objects. | Now fillets the first and last segments of an open polyline to create a closed object. | X | X |
| GEOGRAPHICLOCATION | Assigns geographic location information to a drawing file. | Inserts a GIS coordinate system to the drawing file. Adds the ability to select a geographic location from an online maps service. |
X | X |
| HATCH | Fills an enclosed area or selected objects with a hatch pattern, solid fill, or gradient fill. | Adds Undo to command prompts. | X | X |
| LAYER | Manages layers and layer properties. | Now uses natural language sorting for the layer list, so that numerals are sorted in order of their values. Adds the ability to merge selected layers by using the shortcut menu in the Layer Manager. |
X | X |
| MTEXT | Creates a multiline text object. | Annotation scale in the Select Annotation Scale dialog box is set only with a drop-down list (no direct entry). | X | X |
| NEWSHEETSET | Creates a new sheet set data file that manages drawing layouts, file paths, and project data. | The Creation Date (CreateDate) field in a new sheet now reflects the drawing creation date, not the template creation date. | X | X |
| POINTCLOUDATTACH | Inserts an indexed point cloud file into the current drawing. | Inserts additional point cloud formats: RCP and RCS (Created by Autodesk ReCap) | X | |
| PROPERTIES | Displays the properties of the selected object or set of objects. | Xref-dependent linetypes are no longer displayed in the Preferences window. | X | X |
| TEXT | Creates a single-line text object. | Adds Left to the Justification prompt options. Retains the last used justification during the session. | X | X |
| -XREF | From the Command prompt, manages external references. | Adds Pathtype prompt. | X | X |
| Updated system variables | Description | How changed | AutoCAD | AutoCAD LT |
| ATTDIA | Controls whether the INSERT command uses a dialog box for attribute value entry. | Default value changed from 0 (off) to 1 (on). | X | X |
| CLIPROMPTUPDATE | Controls whether the command line displays the messages and prompts generated while an AutoLISP or script file is being executed. | Default value changed from 0 (off) to 1 (on). | X | X |
| LATITUDE | Specifies the latitude of the geographic marker. | Now linked to the Latitude setting in the Geographic Location dialog box. | X | X |
| LONGITUDE | Specifies the longitude of the geographic marker. | Now linked to the Latitude setting in the Geographic Location dialog box. | X | X |
| NORTHDIRECTION | Specifies the angle between the Y axis of WCS and the grid north. | Now also available in AutoCAD LT. | X | X |
| ONLINESYNCTIME | Controls the time interval for synchronizing current customization settings with your Autodesk account. | Default value changed from 5 to 300 minutes. | X | X |
| SNAPGRIDLEGACY | Controls whether the cursor snaps to the snap grid only when an operation is in progress. | Now also available in AutoCAD LT. | X | X |
| Updated commands | Description | How changed | AutoCAD | AutoCAD LT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACISOUT | Exports solid objects to an ACIS file. | Saves SAT files as Version 7.0. | X | X |
| ADCENTER | Manages content. | Updated to support Section View and Detail View styles. | X | X |
| ARRAY | Creates multiple copies of objects in a pattern. | Displays contextual tab during array creation. | X | X |
| ARRAYEDIT | Edits multiple copies of objects in a pattern. | Path array automatically calculates the item count based on the item spacing and length of path curve. | X | X |
| ATTACH | Allows the user to insert various file types as attachments or underlays into a DWG file. | Now attaches point clouds files (PCG and ISG). | X | X |
| -ATTACH | Allows the user to insert various file types as attachments or underlays into a DWG file from the command prompt. | Now attaches point clouds files (PCG and ISG). | X | X |
| CLIP | Allows the user to clip viewports, xrefs, DWF, DWFx and DGN underlays, PDF underlays and point clouds. | Now creates clipping boundaries for point clouds. | X | X |
| -HATCHEDIT | Modifies an existing hatch object from command line. | Now allows multiple-hatch selection. | X | X |
| LIST | Displays property data for selected objects. | If the command window is not docked, displays object information in the extended command history. If the command window is docked, information is displayed in the text screen. | X | X |
| MLEADER | Creates a line that connects annotation to a feature. | Now supports strikethrough formatting. | X | X |
| MOVE | Displaces objects a specified distance in a specified direction. | Now supports section view and detail view types. | X | X |
| MTEDIT | Edits multiline text. | Text style drop-down list display changed to show more options. | X | X |
| MTEXT | Creates multiline text. | Text style drop-down list display changed to show more options. | X | X |
| POINTCLOUDINDEX | Creates a point cloud (PCG or ISD) file from a scan file. | Supports additional types of scan files. | X | |
| PRESSPULL | Dynamically modifies objects by extrusion and offset. | Provides additional visual display support for the presspull operation. | X | |
| PURGE | Removes unused named items, such as block definitions and layers, from the drawing. | Now purges Detail View styles. | X | X |
| RENAME | Changes the names of objects | Now supports purging of Detail View styles. | X | X |
| -RENAME | Changes the names of objects from command line. | Now supports purging of Detail View styles. | X | X |
| ROTATE | Moves objects about a base point. | Now supports rotation of section views and detail views. | X | X |
| STYLE | Creates named styles. | Text style drop-down list display changed to show more options. | X | X |
| TABLE | Creates an empty table object in a drawing. | X | X | |
| TEXT | Displays text on screen as it is entered. | X | X | |
| TEXTTOFRONT | Brings text and dimensions in front of all other objects in the drawing. | Now supports leaders. | X | X |
| UNDO | Reverses the effect of commands. | X | X | |
| VIEWBASE | Creates a base drawing view from model space or Autodesk Inventor models. | Supports the creation of drawing view objects from model space or Inventor models within a layout (paper space). | X | |
| VIEWEDIT | Edits an existing drawing view. | Supports the editing of drawing view objects regardless of type: base, projected, section and detail views. | X | |
| VIEWPROJ | Creates a projected view from an existing drawing view. | Now supports section and detail drawing view object types. | X | |
| VIEWSTD | Configures the drafting standard used by new drawing views. | X | ||
| VIEWUPDATE | Updates selected drawing views that have become out of date because the source model has changed. | X | ||
| Updated system variables | Description | How changed | AutoCAD | AutoCAD LT |
| BINDTYPE | Controls how xref names are handled when binding xrefs or editing xrefs in place. | X | X | |
| FRAMESELECTION | Controls whether the hidden frame of an image, underlay, clipped xref, clipped point cloud, or wipeout can be selected. | Wipeout frames are now supported. | X | X |
| POINTCLOUDDENSITY | Controls the percentage of points displayed at once for all point clouds in the drawing . | The system variable value is a percentage of the maximum number of points that can exist in a drawing which is defined by POINTCLOUDPOINTMAX, regardless of the number of point clouds attached to a single drawing. Available for viewing drawings w/point clouds in LT. | X | X |
| POINTCLOUDRTDENSITY | Controls the percentage of points displayed during real time zoom, pan, and orbit functions. | Improves performance by degrading the number of points displayed during zooming, panning, or orbiting in real time. Set this system variable to a value less than the value of POINTCLOUDDENSITY in order to improve performance. | X | |
| SUBOBJSELECTIONMODE | Filters the 3D subobject types that are selected with CTRL+click. | Adds a value (5) that specifies that only components in a drawing view are available for selection. | X | |
| THUMBSIZE | Controls the maximum size of thumbnail preview which can be stored. | Now accommodates higher resolutions for thumbnail sizes. | X | |
| XDWGFADECTL | Controls the dimming for all DWG xrefs. | X | X | |
| XFADECTL | Controls the fading intensity percentage for references being edited in-place. | Controls the degree of fading when editing a reference in place or when in a view sketching state (editing view-specific geometry). | X | X |
| XREFNOTIFY | Controls the notification for updated or missing xrefs. | Now communicates with the Inventor Server to check for updates to Inventor models placed in Model Documentation views. | X | X |