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Home Design Design Tutorials Design Basic Tutorial List of AutoCAD Commands
 

List of AutoCAD Commands

Updated September 12, 2023

List of AutoCAD Commands 1

 

 

List of AutoCAD Commands (Table of Contents)
  • Drawing Commands
  • Editing Commands
  • Text and Annotation Commands
  • Object Manipulation Commands
  • Miscellaneous Commands

What are AutoCAD Commands?

AutoCAD is a useful software for creating designs, particularly in 2D format. It supports various commands and shortcut keys to execute multiple procedures and draw objects efficiently.

Mastering the following list of AutoCAD commands is key to efficiently creating complex designs. These commands help the user draft, model, and customize the necessary tasks effectively and efficiently.

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List of Basic AutoCAD Commands

The table below elaborates on the list of AutoCAD commands for this software. The following commands can function if the user enters the specific keywords in the command line on the interface or by pressing CTRL+9.

All the following commands and shortcut keys for AutoCAD are available in a pdf format to enable easy access all the time.

List of AutoCAD Commands for Drawing

Command Full Form Description
AL Align Aligns an object with another object by specifying source and destination points. Allows scaling of source objects relative to the destination object.
AP Append Appends one object to the other by overlapping or combining them.
AR Array Creates an array of objects based on a desired profile.
ARC Arc Creates an arc by specifying the starting point/center and two endpoints.
BH / H Hatch Applies a hatch pattern with a color or gradient effect to a closed area in the drawing.
BR Break It breaks an object into two parts.
BS Block Save Saves a particular object as a block for future reference.
C Circle Inserts a circle by selecting a starting point and entering the radius.
CHA Chamfer Creates a chamfer, i.e., a symmetrical sloping surface between two non-parallel lines.
CO Copy Duplicates a specific object at a different location as per the need.
DI Distance Measures the angle and distance between two points in a drawing.
DIV Divide Divides an object into smaller segments, such as dividing a line into multiple shorter lines.
EX Extend Extends or stretches an object to meet another object’s size.
L Line Draws a simple line by defining the starting point and endpoint. Can also define the line using an angle and radius.
LA Layer Manages layers inside the drawing through a dialogue box.
LO Layout Creates and modifies different drawing layout tabs.
ML Multiple Lines Draws multiple parallel lines.
MI Mirror Creates a mirror image of a particular object.
MT Text Creates a text object for writing a multi-line paragraph.
OF Offset Creates a parallel copy of an object at a specific distance.
PE Polyline Edit Edits a polyline, allowing closure, joining, width adjustment, vertex editing, fitting lines, or converting polylines into splines or de-curve lines.
PL Polyline Creates a polyline in the drawing, with each endpoint connected to the start of the next line segment.
POL Polygon Constructs a polygon by specifying the number of edges and the center. It can be inscribed or circumscribed.
RA Ray Draws a semi-infinite line (ray) from a particular point.
REC Rectangle Specifies the length and breadth of a rectangular polyline by defining a starting point and a point diagonally opposite.
RO Rotate Rotates an object to a specific point by selecting the object and a base point for rotation.
ROt Rotate3D Rotates an object in 3D space by selecting an axis and angle.
SC Scale Resizes an object using a scale of measurement.
SL Slice Divides a 3D surface using a cutting plane.
SM Move Moves specific objects to a new desired location.
ST Stretch Stretches a particular object up to a specific point.
TB Table Inserts a table with a desired number of rows and columns into the drawing.
TR Trim Trims an object based on another object.
TRi Trim3D Trims a 3D surface based on another 2D or 3D object.
XL Extended Line Creates a line of a specific length.

List of AutoCAD Commands for Editing

Command Full Form Description
E Erase Erases the selected object from the AutoCAD window.
F Fillet Creates a fillet/arc between two intersecting lines.
I Insert Inserts a block from a specified location into the drawing.
LWE LwPolylineEdit Edits a lightweight polyline by adding or removing vertex points.
MIRR Mirror3D Creates a duplicate (mirrored) copy of a particular 3D object.
RE Regen Regenerates the drawing, considering existing updates.
REN Rename Renames layers and blocks inside the drawing.
U Undo Undoes the previous commands.
UN Units Selects the measuring units of the drawing, such as units, inches, millimeters, etc.

List of AutoCAD Commands for Text and Annotation

Command Full Form Description
DT Text Creates a text box for entering a single sentence.
DRM Drawing Recovery Manager Displays previous, ongoing projects unsaved due to system failure, acting as an Auto Drawing Recovery.
J Join Joins objects together to create a new object by overlapping the existing ones.
JPGOUT JPEG Output Saves the AutoCAD drawing in .jpeg format.
ME Measure Measures the dimensions of an object.
SP Spell Check Checks the spelling of all words inside the drawing.
T Text Inserts multi-line text into the drawing.

List of AutoCAD Commands for Object Manipulation

Command Full Form Description
DL Delete Deletes a particular object from the drawing.
GD Gradient Fill Fills a particular area with a gradient effect.
G Group Groups multiple objects into a single object.
M Move Moves an object to another position by selecting the object and specifying the new location.
PU Purge Unused Opens a dialogue box to remove unused or unwanted elements from the drawing.
RS Rotate/Scale Rotates or Scales an object by specifying the parameters.

List of AutoCAD Commands for Miscellaneous Purposes

Command Full Form Description
CHK Check Standards Performs a check for violations of standards in the drawing.
CLI Command Line Interface Shows the command line in every drawing.
COL Color Opens a dialogue box to choose the desired color.
IMP Import It helps to insert a file of any format into the drawing.
QC QuickCalc Opens QuickCalc for smooth calculations.
QSAVE Quick Save Saves the ongoing drawing.
Z Zoom Enables the user to zoom in or out, increasing or decreasing the screen size.

AutoCAD Shortcuts

AutoCAD also supports the basic shortcut keys that are mainly useful in Microsoft Applications. Following are some of the main shortcut keys that a user can apply to ease the use of AutoCAD.

Shortcut Key Purpose
CTRL+E To shift between system displays.
CTRL+F To display snap points with the help of the cursor.
CTRL+G To enable or disable grid display.
CTRL+H To switch between different styles.
CRTL+SHIFT+H To show or hide color palettes.
CTRL+I To shift between the display of the coordinates in the status bar.
CTRL+SHIFT+I To apply geometric restrictions on the objects.
CTRL+0 (zero) Clean the screen by hiding the ribbon, palettes, and toolbar. This is useful to increase the drawing area size.
CTRL+1 To open the Property Palette that displays the properties of a particular object.
CTRL+2 To open the Design Centre Palette. This palette allows the user to manage the drawings internally and externally.
CTRL+3 Open the Tool Palette containing various tools, commands, and blocks.
CTRL+4 To open the Sheet Set Palette for managing multiple sheets and layouts.
CTRL+6 To open the DBConnect Manager that connects the user to external databases.
CTRL+7 To open the Markup Set Manager Palette, which helps organize and analyze annotations.
CTRL+8 To open QuickCalc for calculations and conversion of units of measurement.
CTRL+9 To determine the position of the command line that helps the user to enter prompts or commands.
You can download this AutoCAD Cheat Sheet here – AutoCAD Cheat Sheet

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)

Q1. How do you hide a layer in AutoCAD?
Answer: To hide a layer in AutoCAD, follow the below steps:
Step 1: Open the Layer Properties Manager (type “LA” and press Enter).
Step 2: Locate the layer you want to hide.
Step 3: Click on the “VP Freeze” column to toggle the checkmark for the layer.
Step 4: Click “OK”.

Q2. What is the color coding in AutoCAD?
Answer: In AutoCAD, color coding gives specific numbers to colors (1 to 255). It helps to distinguish objects by setting different colors to them for easy visual identification. Colors 1-7 are predefined (red, yellow, green, cyan, blue, magenta, and white), while colors 8-255 can be customized.

Recommended Articles

This is a guide to the List of AutoCAD Commands. Here we discuss the list of AutoCAD Commands in this software to draw your design. You may also look at the following article to learn more –

  1. How to Install AutoCAD
  2. AutoCAD Plugins
  3. What is AutoCAD?
  4. What is Adobe Illustrator?

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