CONTENTS

 About the Software

 Step 1: Know the UI

 1.1: Basic Orientation

 1.2: Setting Up the Workspace

 Step 2: 2D Sketching

 2.1: Snapping

 2.2: Drawing Lines

 2.3: Selecting Objects

 2.4: Drawing Shapes

 2.5: Spline

 2.6: Trim

 2.7: Mirror

 Step 3: 3D Modeling

 3.1: Creating Basic Shapes

 3.2: Changing Visuals

 3.3: Solid Modeling

 3.4: Extrude

 3.5: Revolve

 3.6: Loft

 3.7: Sweep

 Step 4: Moving & Aligning Objects

 4.1: 3D Move

 4.2: 3D Rotate

 4.3: Align
 Step 5: Working with Technical Drawings

 5.1: Inserting Model Views

 5.2: Adding Dimensions

 5.3: Section View

 Step 6: Working with Meshes

 6.1: Importing STLs & Other Meshes

 6.2: Exporting STL Files

 Wrapping Up

 Comments

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AutoCAD? – Simply Explained

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AutoCAD is arguably the most known CAD software worldwide. First released by Autodesk in
1982, it’s now used for a wide range of applications, including architectural plans, layouts, and
product manufacturing drawings. This versatility has made AutoCAD a standard for some
industries.

In this tutorial, you’re going to learn the basics of how to use AutoCAD and create your first
designs in just six steps. We’ll first learn how to get around and then jump right into 2D
sketching. After that, we’ll move on to discover its 3D modeling and technical drawing tools.
Last but not least, let’s learn how to work with mesh files, including exporting STL models for
3D printing.

There’s a lot of ground to cover, so let’s dive in!

All About

AutoCAD

AUTOCAD TUTORIAL FOR BEGINNERS / HOW TO USE AUTOCAD

About the Software

AutoCAD isn't cheap, but students and educators can get free access and there's a 30-day free trial
(Source: Autodesk)

Before getting started with the tutorial, let’s introduce the software.

AutoCAD is developed and maintained by Autodesk, the software giant that also offers other
CAD and 3D modeling programs like Inventor, Revit, Maya, 3ds Max, Tinkercad, and Fusion
360.

AutoCAD is professional design software, so the price is steep at $1,775 per year. Luckily,
students and educators get unlimited free access for up to a year. If that’s not your case, there are
some free alternatives to AutoCAD, as well. Additionally, Autodesk offers a 30-day free trial for
anyone, which is more than enough time to follow along with this tutorial and learn if it’s the
tool for you!

To download AutoCAD, you’ll first need to set up an Autodesk account. There are versions for
both Windows and Mac, which vary slightly in terms of UI, but the installation processes are
very straightforward.
AUTODESK AUTOCAD

COMMISSIONS EARNEDCheck price at

Autodesk
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Step 1: Know the UI

AutoCAD's UI might feel overhelming at first due to the various tools and buttons (Source: Lucas Carolo
via All3DP)

Ok, now we’re ready to play with the software. In the first step of this tutorial, we’ll get
acquainted with the user interface and learn how to interact with and set up the workspace.

To start a new project in AutoCAD, click “New” on the left side panel. This is AutoCAD’s main
working screen, where all 2D and 3D designing takes place. Basically, it’s composed of the
following:

 Quick Access Toolbar, with all the basics icons for actions like creating, opening, and saving
projects. This can be easily customized, as we’ll see.
 Ribbon, containing various tools and commands arranged in tabs. A ribbon-style toolbar is
common in CAD software as it accommodates a huge number of tools in a compact interface.
 Command Bar, where the user can enter commands manually by typing them here. It also lists
the order of required steps to execute any given command and plus some extra tips.
 Orientation tools, like the View Cube and NavBar, will be described in more detail next.
Good to Know

The Main AutoCAD Commands & Shortcuts

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AUTOCAD TUTORIAL FOR BEGINNERS / HOW TO USE AUTOCAD

1.1: Basic Orientation

The orientation tools guide the user's view (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

The View Cube, in the top-right corner, is set to the top view by default. If you hover your
mouse over it, a little house symbol will appear. Click on it to enter isometric view.

Now you’ll see a 3D Cartesian coordinate system in the middle of your drawspace, with three
axes, and the View Cube has changed position. You can click on its faces, edges, and corners to
go to the desired view.

The NavBar contains other orientation tools, but usually for CAD software, mouse shortcuts are
preferred. To pan around the drawspace, simply hold down the wheel button and move the
mouse around. Alternatively, click on the “hand” (pan) icon on the NavBar.
Hold down the Shift key and the mouse wheel together and, instead of panning, you’ll be
orbiting the drawspace around the center of the coordinate system. There’s an Orbit button on the
NavBar, too.

This covers the basics of drawspace orientation. Next, we’ll finish setting up the workspace so
we can start 2D sketching.

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1.2: Setting Up the Workspace

You can change the entire UI by switching workspaces (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

First, let’s bring out all the 3D modeling tools we’ll need to complete this tutorial.

Looking at the Quick Access Toolbar, click on the downward extend arrow to customize this
toolbar. A dropdown menu will pop up; click on “Workspace” to enable this feature.

Now the Quick Access Toolbar will display a new button. By default, it’s “Drafting &
Annotation”, but let’s change it to “3D Modeling” by clicking on it and selecting this choice
from the dropdown menu. This will allow us to use all 2D and 3D tools required for our tutorial.

Lastly, to change units, click on the AutoCAD logo in the top-left corner. This will open the
AutoCAD menu. Go to “Drawing Utilities > Units”. In this tutorial, we’ll use the metric system,
so change the “Insertion Scale” to millimeters.
Now we should be all set to start designing!
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Step 2: 2D Sketching

2D drawing is one of AutoCAD's specialties (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Before we drill down into three-dimensional objects, let’s have a look at 2D sketching first.
AutoCAD is most known and used for its drawing capabilities, such as floor plans and layouts.

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2.1: Snapping

Grid and object snapping help with manual sketching (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Grip snapping is a great feature for sketching with AutoCAD. To enable Grid Snap, simply press
F9 on your keyboard or click on enable “Snap to Drawing Grid” at the bottom right-hand corner.

Click on the extend arrow next to the “Snap to Drawing Grid button” and select “Snap
Settings…”. This window allows you to adjust the grid as well as the accuracy of the grid snap.
Go to the “Object Snap” tab and enable it.

Now, by pressing F3, we can activate snapping to corners, lines, points, and midpoints, among
many options. To select object snapping constraints, click on the extend arrow as shown. Click
on “Tangent” to make it active, as shown above.

If you have problems with entering coordinates or sketching, try toggling “Snapping” on or off,
and try not to use Grid and Object Snap simultaneously. This tool is useful to draw sketches fast
and to prevent holes in your sketch.

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2.2: Drawing Lines

Start drawing a line by inserting the first point as (X,Y) (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

To create your first sketch, select top view by clicking the View Cube and disable Grid Snap
with F9.

Now either select the line command on the Ribbon or type in “line”. With AutoCAD, you can
simply type in the first letters of any command, and the software will autocomplete and show
any available commands.

Once you’ve entered the line command, it’ll ask you to specify the first point. You can either
click a random point in your drawspace or enter the coordinates manually.

Enter 0 for the X-coordinate, change to the Y-coordinate input field by pressing Tab, and enter 0
there as well. Press Enter to confirm.

You’ve now selected the center of the coordinate system as the starting point of your line, also
known as the CenterPoint, located at the coordinates (0,0).
Polar coordinates define a point using angle and distance (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Now move your mouse up along the Y-axis. Note that the coordinate input will have changed
from Cartesian to polar coordinates.

Enter 25 for the length of the line and, by pressing Tab, enter the angular input of 0. Press Enter:
You just drew a line!

Try sketching a complete square now. Notice the angle value is always relative to the origin, so
you’ll have to enter the angle values accordingly. Once you return to the center, press Esc to exit
the line command.

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2.3: Selecting Objects

Selecting objects can be done in three different ways (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

To select drawn objects, simply left-click on them. Unselect by holding down Shift and clicking
again.

Select multiple objects by left-clicking (not holding) and moving the mouse from left to right.
This will select all objects fully enclosed within the blue rectangle. Now, when you drag from
right to left, you’ll select all objects touched by the green rectangle. Click once again to confirm
the selection.

Clicking and holding the left mouse button will enable the lasso, which lets you select a random
shape. With that, practice a little by selecting your square in a couple of different ways. Once
you’re done, select it once more and either press the Delete key or type “delete” to erase it.

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2.4: Drawing Shapes

Specify two diagonally-opposed points to draw a rectangle (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Naturally, AutoCAD offers easier ways to draw simple shapes. Let’s draw a few shapes to create
a new form. Stay with us, we promise we’re going somewhere.

Click the “Rectangle” icon on the ribbon or type it in on the command bar. Now, enter the
rectangle origin as (0,0), just like we did for the line, and hit Enter.

Then, the rectangle command will ask the opposite corner coordinates. Enter the values of
(10,60) and press Enter. (Note that, for this command, the Cartesian coordinates are kept, and the
Object Snap must be turned off for the line to intercept the circle properly.) That’s it!
Input the center and radius coordinates to draw a circle (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Next, let’s make a circle with its center at (0,50). Confirm the coordinates by pressing Enter.
Then, set the radius to 8 mm.

If you made a mistake, simply double-click on the sketch you want to edit. Edit the values in the
pop-up window.

Next, create an ellipse centered at (0,30). Set the major radius (parallel to the X-axis) to 70 mm
and the minor radius to 30 mm, like the image below.
Define the major and minor radii to draw an ellipse (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Now, draw a second circle centered at (25,50) and turn on Object Snap by pressing F3. Without
typing any values, guide the circle’s radius to the Y-axis until it intersects with the ellipse, and
left-click when you see a green cross.

Create more shapes using Object Snap (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)
Let’s create a couple more lines. Draw a line starting at (10,55) and finish it tangent to the
second circle. Click to confirm the final point of the line when the little green tangent icon
appears.

It should look something like this (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Start a second line at the top right corner of the rectangle (10,60). Then, input an angle of 135°
and intercept the first circle with the line.

Now you should have something like the image above.

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2.5: Spline

To draw a spline, enter several points at once (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Next, let’s draw a spline. With the Spline tool, you can create continuous curves between
connecting points.

Create a spline starting at the center point (0,0). First, you add a distance, followed by an angle.
Then press Enter to go to the next point.

Enter the following polar coordinates: (20,30°), (5,300°), (5,55°), (10,30°), and (5,320°). For the
last point, leave both values empty and manually intercept the ellipse like shown above. Now
type in ‘T’ and hit Enter to end tangency. Press Enter once again.

You might already see what’s coming. We’re almost there.

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2.6: Trim

The Trim tool removes segments of lines with just a click (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

The Trim command is used to remove extra lines up to an intersection.

Start by typing “trim” and click on a line segment to erase it. You should end with the image
above. If you removed a line by mistake, click on “Undo” on the Quick Access Toolbar.

Be sure to take a close look at any lines stuck in between small edges. Those would likely
become a problem if we were going to 3D model it. Hit Enter to confirm the trim once you’re
finished.

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2.7: Mirror

Mirror is a useful tool for both 2D and 3D design (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

For this last step, we’ll use an important sketch tool: mirror. When drawing symmetrical
sketches, it comes in handy to simply draw one half of a sketch and then mirror it.

Type in “mirror” and then select the entire sketch and confirm with “enter”. Select CenterPoint
(0,0) as the first point of mirror line and for the second point a positive coordinate along the Y-
axis.

Click “No” on the question to remove the source object. That’s it! Congratulations! You’ve now
sketched your first 2D draft in AutoCAD!
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Step 3: 3D Modeling

Learn to easily go from 2D to 3D (Source: Autodesk via YouTube)

3D modeling might be one of the most interesting parts of this tutorial. Going 3D will allow you
to design your own models for 3D printing.
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3.1: Creating Basic Shapes

AutoCAD's 3D workspace makes it simple to create basic objects like cubes and spheres (Source: Lucas
Carolo via All3DP)

Let’s start with some direct modeling tools. This is when we use predefined shapes like spheres
and cubes to create objects via Boolean operations (union, subtraction, and intersect).

First, switch to the isometric view through the View Cube by clicking on the little house icon.

Now let’s start by creating a perfectly round body. Type in “sphere” and center it at (0,0). Once
that’s set, move your mouse around it to gain form. Alternatively, enter a value for the radius
which in this case is 10 mm.

This how you create basic three-dimensional shapes. Easy enough, right? Still, the object doesn’t
really look like a solid yet. Let’s change that.

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3.2: Changing Visuals

Set the appearance of 3D objects (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

If you want to change the visual effects when displaying 3D objects, you can do so by typing in
“visualstyles”. A new window will open where you can choose the visual style you prefer.

Let’s change the visual style from “2D Wireframe” to “Shades of Grey”. That’s looking more
like it!

Now, let’s try some of the Boolean operations mentioned before. First, let’s create a cylinder that
overlaps the sphere we just created.

To do that, type in “cylinder” and draw the base of the cylinder just like you would a simple
circle. Choose the CenterPoint (0,0) as the origin and go for a 10 mm radius. Next, similarly to
the sphere, move the mouse downwards to see it extrude. Set its height to 25 mm and confirm by
pressing Enter. Now we should have something like this:
A sphere and cylinder easily created with basic tools (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

The first operation we’ll learn here is union, where objects are merged. The sphere and cylinder
might look like one piece but they’re still two separate parts.

To join them, type in “union” and select both shapes. Confirm the operation by hitting Enter, and
now you should have one solid body.

Another basic operation is subtraction. Let’s reverse the last union operation first by clicking on
“Undo” at the Quick Access Toolbar.

Now type in “subtract” and enter the command. First, we need to select the object to subtract
from. Select the cylinder and confirm by pressing Enter. Then, select the sphere as the object to
subtract and confirm.

And there you should have it, the shape of the sphere has been carved into the cylinder.
Subtract removes selected areas that overlap (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

The last Boolean operation is to intersect the objects. This should keep only the areas that two or
more objects overlap. Let’s undo the subtract operation and try intersecting these objects.

Type in “intersect” and select the sphere and cylinder. By confirming the operation, you’ll see
the results as a hemisphere. This is because the cylinder only overlaps the bottom half of the
sphere.

With basic shapes and these three simple operations, we can design a huge range of parts
already. Next, we’ll see how solid modeling works in AutoCAD.

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3.3: Solid Modeling

Start out by drawing a 2D octagon with the Polygon tool (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Instead of playing with basic shapes to construct an object, the more complex models require a
different approach altogether. For this, either create a new drawing or delete anything that’s
currently in your drawspace.

The tools we’ll see next are common in the 3D CAD world, mostly being referred to by the same
names. Let’s start out by creating a simple 3D polygon with one of the most useful features:
Extrude.

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3.4: Extrude

Extrude a solid body from a closed 2D shape (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Start by creating a 2D sketch of an octagon. Type in “polygon” and press Enter. First, set the
number of sides to 8, then select the CenterPoint (0,0) as the center, and click on “Circumscribed
about circle”.

Enter an 80 mm radius and confirm. Now to the fun part. First, type in “extrude” and press Enter.
Select the 2D octagon shape we just drew and again press Enter to create a 3D object.

If you move the mouse upwards you’ll see the polygon extrusion. Set the height to 25 mm and
confirm it with the Enter key. The extrusion operation can be made with any sketch as long as
it’s a closed shape.

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3.5: Revolve

Follow the dimensions in this image to recreate the sketch (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

The next feature in our tutorial is called Revolve. This is an uncomplicated way to design shafts
or objects with line symmetry. Clear your drawspace and let’s get going.

Once more, start by sketching the object. Start a line at the CenterPoint and follow the ‘E’ shape,
as shown above, creating lines until the shape is closed.
Revolve is ideal to create objects with rotational symmetry (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Now, to make this solid, type in “revolve”. First, select everything and confirm. Now, for the
rotation axis, type in ‘Y’ and press Enter. (You should see the shape rotate around the Y-axis.)

Set the angle to 360° for a full rotation and confirm. This will create a solid object. Interesting,
right?

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3.6: Loft

Loft connects two 2D shapes that are parallel in any way (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Now, let’s learn a couple of other features for creating solids. We’ll start with Loft. First, clear
your drawspace or create a new project.

Draw a circle on the CenterPoint with a radius of 100 mm. Then, create a hexagon at a higher
plane. To do that, type in “polygon” and select 6 sides. Before entering the coordinates for its
center, click on the command bar and type in “0,0,50”.

This will tell AutoCAD to create the sketch on a plane parallel to XY but at a 50 mm height.
Finish the polygon by entering a radius of 80 mm.

Type in “Loft” to start this feature. Select both the circle and the hexagon, then press Enter.
Select “Cross Sections only” to finalize the tool.

This will connect both shapes and create a solid within. It’s a great way to combine non-
matching shapes like circles and polygons.

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3.7: Sweep

Create an arc from a polygon for the sweep path (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

The Sweep feature comes in handy when designing curved structures. To do a sweep, you’ll
need to sketch a base geometry first. Draw any polygon you like on the CenterPoint.

Next, we need to change the coordinate system to draw on another plane other than XY. To do
this, go to the Front view, type in “ucs” and then “v” to make this the new Top view.

Now, draw an arc at the origin (0,0) by typing “arc”. This will be the sweep path. Draw a wide
arc, not crossing itself, similar to the image above.

Finally, type in “sweep”, select first the drawn arc, and confirm. Then select base and once again
press Enter. You should have your solid body.
The Sweep feature can create odd and complex shapes (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

While the feature looks simple, it allows us to make highly complex objects.

That’s it! We’ve covered a lot of ground. So far, we’ve learned the most important tools for 3D
modeling, from handling basic shapes to the more traditional CAD features. Next, we’ll look at
how to manipulate these objects.
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Step 4: Moving & Aligning Objects

Let's create a cylinder to play around with the move and align tools (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

We should be able to 3D design almost any part in AutoCAD with the features and techniques
learned in the previous step.

However, objects can also be composed of multiple parts that are “assembled” together. Let’s
find out how to move and assemble different 3D models.

Basics first. Moving an object is a very straightforward operation that can be done in multiple
ways. Start by creating a cylinder centered at (0,0), 100 mm in diameter, and 500 mm in height.

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4.1: 3D Move

First select a base point to move the object from (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Now, let’s move out from the origin. Type in “3D move” and confirm the command. The first
thing to do is to select the parts to move. In our case, select the cylinder and press Enter.

Next, we need to select a base point for the move. With your mouse, select the center point of the
cylinder’s base. Hit Enter to confirm.

Once we’ve confirmed what we want to move, there are various ways to move the cylinder
around: with the mouse through the XY plane or by entering a distance and direction for the
move through polar coordinates.

We can also perform linear translations through the XZY axes. Note the three-axis arrow shape
at the center of the cylinder. Click on the blue one (Z) to move it vertically with the mouse or by
entering the distance.

This last move operation can be done by simply selecting the object. You’ll note that the arrow
axis will be displayed.

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4.2: 3D Rotate

Spin and rotate objects around any axis (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

We can also manipulate objects through simple rotation. This is especially useful for objects that
are sketched in the XY plane but require repositioning.

Let’s lie down our cylinder. Type in “3D rotate”, select the object, and press Enter. Note the
three circles now surrounding the cylinder. Each corresponds to a rotation axis and is colored
accordingly.

For example, if we wanted to rotate an object through its Z-axis, we would use the blue handle,
which is the color of the Z-axis.

Now, let’s give our cylinder a 90° rotation through the X-axis. Click the red circle. Note that the
cylinder will rotate around this axis when you move the mouse. Either spin it to 90° or enter the
value and confirm.

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4.3: Align

Select two distinct points to make them coincident (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Both the 3D Move and 3D Rotate tools allow us to fully manipulate objects in space. Sometimes,
though, we require something faster and perhaps even more intuitive to move and place bodies.

This is where 3D Align comes in. With this, we can quickly position two or more objects in
relation to each other, so don’t delete your cylinder yet! Let’s create a sphere 30 mm in diameter
centered at (0,0).
The center of the sphere is placed on the cylinder's end (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Type in “align” and confirm the command. Select the sphere only and press Enter. Now, select
the center of the sphere as the base point and then select the center of one face.

A straight line will be drawn, representing the movement of the sphere. Confirm with Enter and
you’ll see both shapes aligning. Cool, right?

This can be quite useful when using basic shapes and Boolean operations, as you can imagine.
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Step 5: Working with Technical Drawings

Let's learn how to create a technical drawing from a 3D model (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

AutoCAD is a great tool for generating technical drawings of models created in 3D.

We’ll first need a model and template sheet for our drawing. We’re using the part we created in
step 3 using the Revolve feature, with the only difference being the 40 mm hole on the central
axis.

For the template, we’ll use one from AutoCAD for now but you can find many other models
online or even design one for yourself.

Make sure only the part we want to detail is in the drawspace. Then right-click on the “+” in the
bottom left corner and click “From Template…”. Select the “Tutorial-mMfg” template that
comes with AutoCAD.

This will open a new window with the template sheet we selected. You can put your name and
the project’s name in the title block at the bottom right of the sheet by double-clicking it.

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5.1: Inserting Model Views

Create enough views to cover all the dimensions (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Go to the “Layout” tab on the Ribbon, then click “Base > From Model Space”.

Click to place the first view, which is Front by default, in the middle of the sheet. You’ll notice a
small options window will pop up.

Here you can switch the view to a different one by clicking on “Orientation”. If the model is too
large or small, click on “Scale” and change the scaling factor. For our model, set the scale to 1:2.

Click on “Exit” from the options window to confirm that view. You can now continue to place
other views by dragging the mouse horizontally or vertically.

Create a Top view under the first view as shown. Then, move the view from a 45° angle to create
an isometric view at the lower right corner. Type ‘X’ and press Enter to finalize.

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5.2: Adding Dimensions

Click on a line with the Dimension tool to detail it (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Dimensions are the most important piece of information in a technical drawing. Sometimes the
number of dimensions can be quite overwhelming, so try to follow these three basic rules:

 Start with the smallest detail

 Annotate a detail only once
 Annotate every detail
Let’s add some dimensions to this drawing. First, switch to the “Annotate” tab on the Ribbon and
select the “Dimension” command. This is a smart command which adapts to the feature you want
to annotate.

Now click on either a line or two points to annotate its distance. You’ll then see the length or
radius, and you can place the dimensions accordingly.
Marking holes and rounded geometries is very similar (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Position each annotation as to not intercept other lines or numbers and make sure it’s not too
close to the view. For our model, it should look something like the above images.

If you want to add dimensions to circles or holes, first hover the mouse over that feature. You
can switch between radius and diameter by typing ‘R’ or ‘D’ on your keyboard.

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AUTOCAD TUTORIAL FOR BEGINNERS / HOW TO USE AUTOCAD

5.3: Section View

Section Views allow the detailing of internal features (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Section views are very common in technical drawings as they can show internal details and
geometry that otherwise would be missed.

To create a section view, go to “Layout > Create View > Section View”. Select the view you
want to create a section from followed by clicking on two points for the section line.

Confirm by pressing Enter and place the section view just like we did previously. You’ll see that
AutoCAD will do all the hard work.
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6
AUTOCAD TUTORIAL FOR BEGINNERS / HOW TO USE AUTOCAD
Step 6: Working with Meshes

AutoCAD works with a limited amount of file formats, including DWG and DXF (Source: Lucas Carolo
via All3DP)

Working with meshes is very important for those interested in 3D printing. If you want to 3D
print or share your creations with other people, you’ll need to create or even edit a mesh file.

Formats like STL and OBJ are purely surface representations of a 3D geometry, and for this
reason, CAD software like AutoCAD and others sometimes suffer from compatibility.

Generally speaking, AutoCAD can export to STL and OBJ just fine, but can’t natively import
these formats. There are, however, a couple of ways to bypass this problem.

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AUTOCAD TUTORIAL FOR BEGINNERS / HOW TO USE AUTOCAD

6.1: Importing STLs & Other Meshes

Importing STLs and other mesh formats isn't easy (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

While not able to work natively with mesh files, AutoCAD handles other standardized formats
like STEP and Autodesk’s interchange formats DWG and DXF.

There are plenty of options for converting meshes to such file formats. Perhaps the easiest is to
use the online converter provided by CAD-Forum. We only need to upload the STL and the
application will convert it to DWG or DXF.

Alternatively, you can use other CAD programs like Fusion 360 or free software
like FreeCAD to do the conversion.

To open a DXF or DWG file in 3D mode, create a new project. Then go to the “AutoCAD logo >
Open > Drawing” and select the file. When the model is imported, you can change the visual just
like we did in step 3.

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AUTOCAD TUTORIAL FOR BEGINNERS / HOW TO USE AUTOCAD

6.2: Exporting STL Files

Exporting to mesh formats, in contrast, is simple (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

Luckily exporting STL files is very straightforward with AutoCAD.

Simply click on the “AutoCAD logo > Export > Other File Formats” and select “Lithography
(*.stl)” as the file type in the file browser.

That’s it! Now you can 3D print your own models or even share them on online
repositories like Thingiverse and MyMiniFactory.
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AUTOCAD TUTORIAL FOR BEGINNERS / HOW TO USE AUTOCAD

Wrapping Up

Thanks for tagging along in this tutorial! (Source: Lucas Carolo via All3DP)

This brings us to the end of our AutoCAD tutorial for beginners.

AutoCAD is a powerful CAD software with one of the best toolboxes and features to support 2D
drawings. When it comes to 3D design, it’s still impressive, especially for 3D rendering.

However, as we’ve just experienced, it’s not an easy nor intuitive application. If you feel that
AutoCAD isn’t the right tool for you, try checking other 3D modeling options
like Tinkercad or SketchUp.

If the problem is cost, then check out other free alternatives to AutoCAD and keep on learning!

See What's Out There

The Best AutoCAD Alternatives of 2023 (3 Are Free)

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How to Use AutoCAD

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Get starting learning AutoCAD with this guide

METHODS

1Getting Started

2Drawing in AutoCAD

OTHER SECTIONS

Questions & Answers

Video

Related Articles

References

Article Summary
Written by Nicole Levine, MFA
Last Updated: August 26, 2022 References

AutoCAD is a computer-aided drafting software program that enables the user to create precise
2- and 3-dimensional drawings used in construction and manufacturing. You can run the most-
recent version of AutoCAD on your Mac or PC. People who learn how to use AutoCAD can
create scaled drawings that are used to manufacture equipment, plan infrastructure projects,
design electrical circuitry, and build homes and commercial structures. If you're brand new to
AutoCAD, this wikiHow will help you learn your way around the app and become familiar with
its basic features and functions.
Method 1
Getting Started

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1.

1
Open AutoCAD. You'll find it in the Windows menu or your Mac's Applications folder. If you
haven't already installed AutoCAD, visit https://www.autodesk.com to download and install it
now.
2.

2
Browse the Start screen. When you open AutoCAD, you'll see two tabs on the bottom—
LEARN and CREATE (the default tab). If you click the LEARN tab, you'll find helpful videos
to get you started with your project. If you click back to the CREATE tab, you'll find the
following areas:

 In the "Get Started" section on the left, you can select Start Drawing to create a
new project, Open Files to choose an existing project, or click
the Templates menu to start from a template.[1]
 If there are any recent AutoCAD documents to work on, they'll appear in the
Recent Documents section at the middle of the screen.
 If any updates are available, they'll appear in the Notifications area at the top-
right corner.
 You can also sign in to your A360 account by clicking Sign In at the bottom-
right corner.
3.

3
Click Start Drawing or open an existing file. If you want to start a new project from a
template, choose that template instead.[2]

 If you don't see the option to do so, click the File menu and select New to create
a new drawing now.
4.

4
Familiarize yourself with the workspace layout. Once you've opened a drawing, take some
time to acquaint yourself with the locations of menus and tools:

 The drawing area is the part of the workspace with a gridded background. At the
top-left corner of this area are two tabs: one is for the current drawing (which
will have a name like "Drawing1") and the other can take you back to
the Start screen. If you open more than one drawing at once, each will have its
own tab above the drawing area.
 The Y-axis appears in green on the left side of the drawing area, and the X-axis
is the red line along the bottom.
 The Viewcube is the square with a directional compass around it—you can use
this to adjust your perspective when working in 3D.
 The ribbon toolbar at the top above the drawing area contains your tools on a
series of tabs (Home, Insert, Annotate, etc.).
 Click the View tab at the top to show and hide tools and
features on the workspace.
 The "Type a command" area at the bottom lets you type in commands and tool
functions once you get a bit more acquainted with the app.[3]
5.

5
Click the Home tab. It's at the top-left corner of AutoCAD. You'll see your drawing tools in the
"Draw" area on the left side of the ribbon toolbar.

 Hover your mouse over any of the tools to see more information about what
they do, as well as instructions for finding more help about their uses.
 As you draw with any tool, you'll see useful measurements near the cursor, such
as length and angle.
6.

6
Set your default measurement formats. If you need to change the way the scale, length, or
angle measurements appear on the screen, u n i t s into the command prompt and
pressing Enter or Return to bring up the Drawing Units panel. For example, if you're seeing
measurements in microns and you need to see them in meters, you can make that change here
whenever you want.

Method 2
Drawing in AutoCAD

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1.

1
Click the Line or Polyline tool to draw lines. Both tools are at the top-left corner. The Line
tool is for drawing individual line segments, while the Polyline tool lets you create a single object
from a series of line segments.[4] To draw your first lines:

 Click the mouse at the starting point of your line segment.

 Move the mouse to the place where you'd like to end the segment, and click the
mouse at the ending point. If you're using the Line tool, this completes your first
segment/line.
 If you're using the Polyline tool, move the mouse again and click to continue
creating segments. When you're finished, hit the Esc key to stop drawing.
 If you need to set precise measurements for your segments (and this is true for
any tool), type the desired measurement into the box near the cursor instead of
clicking a segment endpoint. When you press Enter or Return, the endpoint
will be placed at the distance you entered.
2.
2
Click the Circle tool to draw a circle. It's to the right of the Polyline tool in the toolbar. To
draw a circle:

 Click the location on the drawing area where the circle's center should be.
 Drag the mouse outward and click to select the radius.
3.

3
Click the Arc tool to draw a curved line. It's to the right of the Circle tool in the toolbar. To
draw an arced line:

 Click the mouse at the starting point.

 Move the mouse and then click to end the segment.
 Move the mouse in the direction of the curve you want and click to curve the
line.
4.

4
Click the Rectangle tool to create a rectangle. The rectangle tool is simple—click the first
point, which will be any corner of the rectangle, and then drag the mouse until the rectangle is the
size you want. Click the mouse to place the rectangle.
5.

5
Click the Polygon tool to a multi-sided shape. Here's how:

 Move the cursor to the drawing area—you'll see a box that says "Enter the
number of sides." Type the number of sized and press Enter or Return.
 Click the center point of your shape.
 Move the mouse to the desired size and click to place the shape.
6.

6
Click the Elipse tool to create an oval. An ellipse is created by placing three points. Here's
how:

 Click the desired center point.

 Move the mouse to the desired size and click a second point.
 Move the mouse to shape the ellipse and click to place the shape.
7.

7
Use the Hatch tool to fill a shape with a pattern. It's the square at the bottom-right corner of
the Draw panel in the toolbar. Click the tool, then click a shape to fill it. You can choose any of
the patterns or solid fills that appear in the "Pattern" panel that shows in the toolbar while Hatch
is enabled.
8.

8
Use the tools in the "Modify" panel to edit your shapes. First, if you just click a shape or line
without selecting a tool first, anchor points will appear—you can drag these anchor points to
modify the shape if you'd like. There are lots of other modifications you can make:

 Click Move to move a line or shape. After clicking the tool, click the object you
want to move, and then drag it anywhere. You can select multiple objects at
once to move them as a group
 Click Rotate and then a shape to turn it clockwise or counterclockwise. If you
want to flip the image, use the Mirror tool.
 Click Scale and then a shape to change its size. Check out How to Scale in
AutoCAD to learn more about what you can do with scaling.
 Click Stretch if you want to resize an image by stretching it rather than keeping
it scaled.
 Click one of the Array tools (Rectangular Array, Path Array, or Polar
Array) to create an array of the object you select.
 The Trim tool lets you cut a segment or side of an object that meets the border
of another object, turning them into a single object.
 The Fillet and Chamfer tools let you create curved and sharp vertices by
intersecting two selected sides.
9.

9
Click the Annotate tab to add text and tables. The tab is next to the "Insert" tab at the top.
This is where you can create text boxes, add tables with multiple rows and/or columns, and more.

 Click Single Line or Multi Line on the top-left side of the ribbon toolbar to
switch between text styles.
 Any text you add will also act as a single object that you can move.
 This tab also has a "Dimensions" panel that lets you annotate dimensions of
shapes and lines.
10.
10
Work with 3D objects. There are two ways to switch to a 3D view—one is to drag the Viewcube
at the top-right corner of the drawing area in any direction, and the other is to click the Orbit icon
in the right panel—it's the circle with an upward-pointing arrow inside.

 Click the 3D Tools tab at the top to open editing tools specific to 3D design. If
you don't see this tab, right-click the blank area after the last tab above the
ribbon toolbar, open Show tabs, and select 3D Tools.
 Click the down-arrow below "Box" in the "Modeling" panel of the toolbar view
and select different 3D objects to draw (e.g., Cone, Sphere, Pyramid). You'll
draw the images similar to how you did in regular 2D format, but this time
you'll have another axis (the blue line) to work with.
 The shapes will appear as 3D line drawings rather than with volume. You can
change this by clicking 2D Wireframe near the top-left corner of the drawing
area and selecting another view, such as Shaded, Realistic, or X-ray.
 To turn a 2D object into a 3D one, use the Extrude tool to increase its depth,
and/or Revolve to rotate it around an axis.[5]
 You can modify 3D objects similarly to 2D objects—click an object to show the
blue draggable nodes, then move them around as needed.
 The "Solid Editing" and "Surfaces" panels contain advanced editing tools for
creating and editing complex shapes.
11.

11
Place drawings on different layers. When you're working on more complicated drawings, it can
be beneficial to place parts on different layers that you can edit, hide, view, and rearrange.
[6] Here's some basics to get you started with layers:
 On the Home tab, click the Layer Properties icon in the "Layers" panel to
display the Layer Properties panel. This shows all layers and what you can do
with them.
 Click the icon of three sheets of paper with a red-and-yellow circle on its left
side (it's the first icon on top of the Layer Properties panel) to create and name a
new layer. Now you'll have two layers in the panel.
 Double-click a layer to select it. The layer with the checkmark is the current
layer.
 Click the lightbulb on a layer to toggle to hide it/show it. If you're working with
particularly large files, use the sun icon to freeze the layer instead of hiding it.
 Use the padlock icon to protect a layer from accidental edits by locking it.
12.

12
Save your drawing. To save what you're working on, click the A menu at the top-left
corner and select Save As, and choose Drawing. This lets you save your work as a DWG
file, which is the default AutoCAD format.
 Now that you've got the basics down, try drawing an L-shaped stairway
or a step pyramid!
 As you become proficient with AutoCAD, you'll be able to convert lines
into surfaces, surfaces into 3D solids, add realistic material
representations, and manipulate light and shadows.
Basic operations of AutoCAD
Next, I will show you the basic operations of AutoCAD.

How to use the commands

We type a command to operate AutoCAD as mentioned above. Let’s take a closer look at how to
do this.

There are other ways to execute commands, but here I am showing you how to do this by typing
because that’s the way most users do it.
The Command line is at the bottom of the AutoCAD window, so enter your command here.

As an example, we are going to create a circle.

First, type “circle”, to draw a circle.

After entering the command, it’s easy.

Just follow the instructions shown in the diagram below, such as “specify the center point” and
“specify the radius.”
How to draw an object

Naturally, AutoCAD can draw many types of objects other than circles.

Examples include straight lines, arcs, rectangles, and curves, known as “polylines.”

You can execute any command simply by entering the name of the command and following the
instructions shown.

If you remember the name of the command you want to use, you can simply type it in the way
described above. If you don’t remember it, you can find it in the Draw panel, which displays the
commands for drawing, as shown in the red square in the diagram below.
So, choose the command you want to use from there, then follow the instructions shown.

You can find the commands not shown in the panel by clicking the little triangle next to the
“Draw” in the Draw panel. The hidden commands and their explanation will be shown by that,
so you can use the Draw panel to find any commands.
How to erase an object

After learning to draw, we’re going to learn how to erase an object.

First, choose the object to erase.

Left-click near the object to erase. This allows you to specify a rectangular selection area. Left-
click again after choosing the area of the object to erase.
When you have selected the object, you can erase it by pressing the Delete key.

You can basically delete any object simply by selecting it and pressing the Delete key.

To erase several objects at a time, hold the Shift key to select your objects. Then you can erase
them altogether. You can also deselect objects by holding the Shift key and clicking the objects
you don’t need.
Apart from using the Delete key, you can also use the Undo command. This takes you back to
the stage prior to drawing the object that you wish to erase.

Advanced and useful features in AutoCAD

AutoCAD creates drawings by using various drawing commands. However, there are many
convenient features to help reduce work time or to draw more complicated objects.

Polar tracking

Polar tracking is a drawing aid which guides the angle when drawing a line segment, similar to
the smart guide in Adobe.

You can use the F10 key to turn it on or off. It’s very useful if you use the angle guide a lot and
don’t want to enter a command each time.

Hiding the Toolbars

Most beginners use the Toolbars which allow you to operate AutoCAD more intuitively than
using the Command line. If you’re used to the Command line, then you won’t use the Toolbars
so much.

You might just need the Command line.

In my opinion, operating AutoCAD with the Command line is one of the software’s key
strengths. Also, there’s no need to display the Toolbars just for commands which you don’t
normally use.

When you get used to using the Command line, you can hide the Toolbars if you prefer.

Without the Toolbars, your workspace is larger, and your work speed increases, particularly
since you don’t need to use the mouse.

Polylines

You can create drawings without using Polylines. Many users don’t use them, or don’t even
know what they are. However, Polylines are actually an excellent feature!

The software recognizes an object drawn with dots or line segments as several discrete elements.
So, when you want to choose the object, you won’t be able to select the whole object with a
single click because the object is recognized as discrete elements. This is common in any
software.

This is where Polylines comes in. Using Polylines, you can combine elements to make a single
object.

By doing so, you compress the file size, and you can apply hatching in one shot, which is
extremely convenient. It’s a practical feature when you’re working and well worth using.

In this tutorial I will show you the step by step method of making the 3D part shown
down below.

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commands
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You can try it yourself using the dimensioned drawing or follow along the tutorial.

Step 1: Making Circles

Create the following circles using CIRCLE command from draw panel of home tab.
Make sure circle with radius 2.5 units has its center on the circumference of the circle
with radius 26 units.
Step 2: Polar array
Select Polar Array from the Modify panel of Home tab and select two small circles on
the top of geometry.
Now specify the center of the largest circle as the center of the array and enter 4 in the
Number of Items field.
You will get an array like the one shown in the image below.
Step 3: Clean geometry
Delete the biggest circle and select FILLET command now enter R on the command
line and type 7 as the fillet radius.
Now apply this fillet at the intersections of the circle with R2.5 and R22.5 as shown in
the image below.
Step 4: Making outline
Trim all the geometries to make it look like the image below.

Step 5: Joining sketch

Type J on the command line and press enter then select complete geometry and press
enter again.
This will join all external 2D segments into a single unit.
You may need to repeat the JOIN command couple of times to join the geometry
completely.

Step 6: Changing visual style

Change view to southwest isometric and visual style to Shaded from Views and
Visual styles panel of Visualize tab.

Step 7: Converting into 3D

Type PRESSPULL on the command line and click at a location inside the geometry.
Make sure you are clicking inside the geometry and not on the geometry. Enter the
height of 3 units on the command line and press Enter again.

This command will add the thickness of 3 units to the 2D geometry which we have
made so far and your drawing will look like the image shown above.

Step 8: Making sketch on 3D

plane
Create a circle of R17 on the top of the object made in previous step.
For making a circle on top plane you need to make sure that dynamic UCS is turned
on from the status bar toggle.
Press F6 to turn on dynamic UCS then select circle command and move your cursor to
the top plane.
Now click at the center of geometry for circle’s center and enter a radius of 17 units
and press Enter again.

Step 9: Extruding sketch

Type EXT on the command line and press enter then select the circle we have drawn
in previous step and press enter again.
Enter a height of 5.5 units and press enter again to exit the extrude command.

Step 10: Making more extrusions

Now create another circle of radius 14 units with the same center on top of geometry
which we have drawn in the previous step.
Then extrude it by 3.5 units the same way we did previously.
Step 11: Combining 3D parts
Now type UNION and Press ENTER then select complete geometry and press enter
again.
This will ensure that all geometries get combined as a single unit.

Step 12: Creating hole

Create a circle of R11 on the top most surface of the geometry.
Now type PRESSPULL on the command line and press Enter then click inside the
circle of radius 11 units and enter -12 as depth of geometry.
This will make a hole in existing geometry.

Step 13: Making fillets

Type F on the command line and press enter to start fillet command, type R on the
command line and enter a radius of 1.5 units for the fillet.
Now select the edge between the flat piece and the biggest cylinder as shown in the
image below and press enter twice to exit the command.

The final geometry will look like the image shown above.