AutoCAD shortcuts that you should use every day! AutoCAD is well known as the world leading Computer Aided Design (CAD) program that specialises in 2D drafting. Whether you are a professional using AutoCAD in your specific industry, or just a hobbysists using it in your spare time, AutoCAD will surely rank towards the top of programs that you would choose to use.
If you find yourself to have purchased AutoCAD, began using it for the first time in work (or school!), it will take you some time to get used to everything that it has to offer. It is quite a sophisticated program, its user interface is not the friendliest, and the amount of features and tools available may lead one to find it quite intimidating when they are starting out.
For the purposes of this article, we are going to assume that you have had a chance to become somewhat familiar with how the program works and which particular tools you will be using the most. When you have reached this point, and you can identify what you will be using AutoCAD for, and how you will generally be using the program, then you can begin utilizing the many AutoCAD commands that are available to you.
These commands are meant to help you navigate the software without having to search for and click on every feature that you are trying to use. It also speeds up your workflow as these commands have shortcuts that can be typed in seconds. Say hello to being much more efficient on your upcoming projects! There are hundreds of commands to choose from, but for we will start you off with some of the main commands to speed up your drawing process:
ARC
Draws an arc
AREA
Finds the area of a shape in a drawing
ARRAY
Draws a rectangle, path, or polar array
BLOCK
Makes a block
BCOUNT
Counts the number of blocks in a drawing
CIRCLE
Draws a circle
DDOSNAP
Opens the Drafting Settings window
GROUP
Groups multiple objects together into a single unit
HIDEOBJECTS
Hides specified objects in a drawing
HIGHLIGHT
Highlights a specific object in a drawing
ISOLATE
Hides all objects on a specific layer in a drawing except on the layer you have selected
LINE
Draws a line
MIRROR
Produces a mirrored copy of an object
MLINE
Draws multiple lines parallel to one another
PLINE
Draws a polyline
POINT
Creates a singular point on a drawing
POLYGON
Draws a polygon with a specified amount of sides
QSELECT
Creates a specific selection from your drawing adhering to specified filters, e.g. select all lines under a specific length
RECTANGLE
Draw a rectangle
SKETCH
Create a freehand sketch
There are many more to learn, such as commands that allow users to perform basic actions like spell check. These will give you a great foundation when using the software however! Have you used AutoCAD commands before? Can you think of any that should be added to this list? We would love to hear your suggestions in the comments below!
