Welcome to AutoCAD Foundations

AutoCAD Foundations helps you gain the knowledge you need to understand essential features and workflows. With these foundational skills, you can use AutoCAD to create architectural, mechanical, civil engineering, and other types of designs.

Note:

This content is available in English and all supported languages through a combination of professionally localized and machine-translated content. If you find any content to be inaccurate or difficult to understand, use the Was this information helpful? section at the bottom of each topic to let us know.

Click the cards to start exploring and learning how to use AutoCAD.

1. Tour the AutoCAD UI

View a demo of the basic tools in the user interface.

2. Take Your First Steps into AutoCAD

Learn the workflows to create designs through a series of step-by-step exercises. There are two exercises that focus on different techniques and help you to start building the necessary foundational knowledge needed to complete a design.

3. Create, Open, Save, and View Drawings

From the Start tab, you can start or open a drawing. You can also save and view.

4. Start Working with Commands

Access commands easily by using your mouse, Command line, Dynamic Input, or a combination of all three.

5. Create Basic 2D Objects

Draw basic geometric objects like lines, rectangles, and circles, which serve as building blocks for drawings.

6. Create Objects with Precision and Accuracy

Coordinate entry and drafting aids allow you to precisely place geometry and dimensions within your drawings.

7. Select, Modify, and Duplicate Objects

Modifying or duplicating existing objects allows you to save time and ensure consistency across a drawing.

8. Change Object Properties and Organize Objects with Layers

Properties control the size, position and appearance of objects in a drawing while layers can be used to organize objects in a drawing.

9. Place Annotation and Hatch Closed Areas

Add information to your objects by adding annotations and hatches.

10. Add Dimensions to a Design

Add measurements to objects, distances, and locations with dimensions.

11. Create and Insert Blocks

Blocks allow you to create reusable geometry that can represent symbols, parts, detail views, and title blocks. Once created, a block can be inserted to ensure uniformity between identical instances.

12. Organize and Output a Design with Layouts

After completing a design, you often need to share it with team members or external collaborators of whom which might not have access to AutoCAD and need the drawings in a different format. This conversion process, known as plotting, is the same as printing a document or spreadsheet, with the terms plot and print being interchangeable.