A List of Basic AutoCAD Commands – AutoCAD 2024

AutoCAD 2024 has been released for a while now with many new commands. AutoCAD by AutoDesk has several variants including Standard, Mechanical, Architecture, Electrical, and others. Luckily, the basic autocad commands have largely stayed the same for the general user. This article presents ten of the most often used AutoCAD commands and their keyboard shortcuts and will work on all variants of AutoCAD.

Introducing AutoCAD commands in detail

I have used AutoCAD for many years now, originally teaching myself how to use the software by using the excellent online site www.mycadsite.com by Art Whitton. I had always been fascinated by graphs and functions, and the idea of being able to draw something in three dimensions as well as two became something I really wanted to learn. I have been using AutoCAD now for about ten years and I really found it useful when I trained as a mechanical engineer.
What really made me love this software was how easily the concepts of Technical Drawing just flowed across into my AutoCAD drawings. What I learned to draw with paper and pencil rapidly appeared on the screen. The AutoCAD commands are very intuitive and quick to learn. Simply by learning these ten autocad commands will get the average user well on their way to drawing complex parts and shapes in no time at all.
One of the good things about these AutoCAD commands is that probably more than 80% of the basic drawing can be done with these few commands. AutoCAD does have many useful and specific commands to do very specific things, but the average user will often learn a sub-set of these specifics and use those most of the time. There are some AutoCAD commands that I have NEVER used in about ten years of using the software simply because I have never needed them. “Each to their own”, I say and I will also add that you will get out of this software what you put in.
Before we get started, there is one important thing to know about autocad commands. There is usually more than one way to do every command. There will be a Command Group across the top of the screen and/or several groups (usually), there is often a keyboard shortcut (not always), and you can enter the commands on the Command Window usually at the bottom of the screen. One of the great things about the Command Window is that it will search for commands as you start typing to make them easy to find. Also, there is a display within the Command Window to prompt the user about various sub-commands that are available. So, without further ado – lets get started and begin to learn ten of the most useful autocad commands.

Figure 1The AutoCAD Home Toolbar showing various Command Groups or tool sets.

Line Command (Shortcut L)

The AutoCAD Line command creates a line segment. The Shortcut key is the letter L. There are several ways to do this but the most basic is to click on two points of the screen. If more precision is required then co-ordinates can be entered from the keyboard using the Tab or Comma keys.

Handy keys and commands to know also include pressing the F8 key that will force the line to lengthen in only horizontal and vertical directions; once you have chosen a direction you may type in the number of units to set the line length then hit Enter; using the @ symbol to make the line connect to a point in a Relative Position instead of a Specific Position; and finally using the < symbol to create Polar Co-ordinates.

A very useful thing with drawing a line is that once the initial point has been set, the user can simply input a distance and hit enter and a line of that length pointing in the set direction appears. Setting the Objects Snaps is also a very useful thing. Object Snaps can be set to automatically join your line to such things as endpoints and mid-points of other lines so that a user does not have to manually adjust or select them.

The Command Window shows what the AutoCAD command needs to work and displays options that can be clicked with the mouse.

Figure 2 The Command Window gives additional information and Hints on what to do next.

Circle Command (Shortcut C)

The AutoCAD Circle command allows you to draw circles. The Shortcut key is the letter C. To create a circle there are two important things you need to know: the centre point and the radius of the circle. You begin by specifying the centre point and this can be done in the same way you position the start point of a line. Then you click or enter the radius.

There are also a few options when drawing a circle. If you already have some geometry on the screen there is an option to draw the circle between two points; create a circle from three points; or create a circle between two tangents and enter a radius. There is always help available in the Command Window at the bottom of the screen. Simply click on the option in the Command Window and the window will display the autocad command variation and what the software wants. The two-point circle literally draws the circle that fits between those two points and is similar to the three-point circle that passes through the three points set. The Ttr variation is for when the user has two tangent lines and wants to set a circle of a specific radius.

Figure 3 The options are always in the Command Window and are easily used by clicking on them.

Arc Command (Shortcut A)

The AutoCAD Arc command is used to draw arcs or parts of circles by specifying the center point, radius, and start and end angles. It is a bit more complex than the circle command but everything you need to know is in the Command Window. If you want to draw an Arc then the default will be in the counter clockwise direction. If you want to draw a clockwise arc then simply hold down the Ctrl key.

It is also possible to draw an arc by inputting an angle; using a specific chord length; or setting it up as a tangent to another line. Simply click in the Command Window the AutoCAD command that you need.

Figure 4 The Arc Command in action. There are many ways to create an arc.

Rectang Command (Shortcut REC)

The Rectang command allows you to draw rectangles by specifying two points – the start and end points of the corners. This is not the only way to draw a rectangle. Entering the dimension lengths of the sides; or entering an area are also an option. The rectangle also can be rotated as it does not have to be horizontal or vertical.

These three AutoCAD commands are probably the most used of all commands and most drawings are made up of various combinations of the objects. Notice that the shortcut for this command is a bit different. One benefit of Autocad is that as you type on the keyboard, a list of available commands will show up near the cursor to help you find the one you want.

Figure 5 Help as you type Commands.

Trim Command (Shortcut TR)

While lines, circles and rectangles may make up the bulk of a drawing, there will always be a little clutter and a need to clean up the drawing. This is where the Trim autocad command comes in. The Trim command is used to remove unwanted portions of lines, arcs, or circles. It is a great tool to use when you need to clean up a drawing.

Trim is a very powerful tool and comes in two flavors – Quick and Standard modes. Quick mode allows the use of the cursor’s Select functions where groups of objects can be selected simply by clicking and dragging the mouse a certain way. Standard mode is more what you would expect where individual geometry is selected with the mouse buttons.

A word of warning when using the trim command. You can always back out with the back keys if you make a mistake in autocad but some mistakes are a little more subtle. AutoCAD has the capability of Constraining geometry which is good design philosophy in the 2D and 3D world. Trim however will ignore constraints and delete whatever you tell it to. This is fine if all you need to do is redo constraints but if you delete a critical constraint by deleting a line it can completely break a fully constrained drawing at a stroke. If you use constraints – beware!

Copy Command (Copy Ctrl-C. Copy with Basepoint Ctrl-Shift-C)

The Copy command allows you to make copies of any object or group of objects in your drawing. This AutoCAD command is very useful when you need to duplicate a design or when you need to place an object in multiple places. While you can use the shortcuts for this very useful AutoCAD command, I find it easiest (and safer) by using the Clipboard Copy version by Right-clicking the mouse. The keyboard shortcuts for this command Ctrl-C are exactly the same as the Industry Standard editing commands for documents. This means that not only can you select an object or group of objects and copy them with Ctrl-C, but you can also Cut with Ctrl-X and also Paste with Ctrl-V.

I would still recommend using the alternate Right mouse click when using this command as normally drafting is all about precision and copying without a Base Point makes it a little difficult to position objects exactly. The Base Point can be anywhere on the objects selected so if I want to select a small assembly, with a Base Point I can position that assembly exactly in a different or the same drawing. The normal method is fine if you don’t need the precision in cases like beginning a new drawing where the location does not matter.

Figure 6 Clipboard Copy gives more control and more options than the keyboard shortcuts.
Copying an object or group with a base point is a much better way to get it exactly where you want it.

Move Command (Shortcut MOV)

Very similar to the Copy command, the Move command is used to move an object from one location to another. This command is used to reposition an object within your drawing. The move command works by selecting an object or group of objects and then entering in the Displacement in the X and Y axes you want to move them. You can also select a base point for all of those objects and then enter the displacement. The displacement is optional, you can click where the object goes directly. How you move things will depend upon how much control or what precision you need. Cut and Paste discussed above also works well.

Scale Command (Shortcut SCA)

From time to time, you will need to make objects in the drawing either bigger or smaller. The Scale command is used to resize objects. You can scale objects in proportion or non-proportionally by specifying the base point and the scaling factor. The Scale command will scale whatever is selected. This means that only part of a drawing can be selected to scale and leave the rest of the drawing alone. Scale is especially useful if something needs to “fit” into a space but the something was drawn by someone else who didn’t know how big it needed to be. Scale also comes in handy if there is a complete drawing but the final part or assembly needs to be a different size. Instead of completely re-drawing the plans they can be scaled with one quick command.

Rotate Command (Shortcut RO)

The Rotate command is used to rotate objects in your drawing; it is similar to the move command except that the move is around a single point. Rotating objects occur by specifying the base point and entering the angle of rotation. Entering a rotation angle will rotate the object clockwise. Entering a negative angle will rotate the object counterclockwise.

Array Command (Shortcut ARR or ARRAYCLASSIC)

This AutoCAD command is one of the most powerful commands that are commonly used when drawing. The Array command allows you to create multiple copies of an object in your drawing. It is possible to set up an array of objects in a line; in a square or rectangular pattern; in a circular pattern; or along a specified path. The array may be one or many objects, and the array can be spaced evenly or at specified distances. This command is especially useful if there is a single object that needs multiple copies in an exact pattern.

The ARRAYCLASSIC command is a Wizard that is very useful if you are unsure of exactly what you are doing with your array. This is especially helpful as you can look at the end result before confirming it so that you can get it right – the first time.

Figure 7 The ARRAYCLASSIC Interface – a much easier way.

The AutoCAD command Help pages can be found here:

• Line Command
• Circle Command
• Arc Command
• Rectangle Command
• Trim Command
• Copy Command
• Move Command
• Scale Command
• Rotate Command
• Array Command

These top ten AutoCAD commands are only the beginning. A full list of AutoCAD commands can be found on the product website at AutoDesk here: help.autodesk.com/view/ACD/2024/ENU/
These very useful AutoCAD commands are just the start of learning this powerful software. Learning how to set up the environment is also crucial to getting a robust workflow that leads to far less problems later down the track. When I first started with Autocad, I didn’t even know how to change things back after I accidentally deleted a customizable item in the Command Groups at the top of the screen. What I accidentally deleted was one of the fundamental AutoCAD command groups. At the time I had no clue how to get it back and ended up completely re-installing the software. I have learned since then not to fear the fact that autocad can be set up however you want it. I know some drafters who have specialised setups for specialised jobs where all of the most used autocad commands are grouped together in a way that they can find them rapidly. Their productivity is just amazing.
Learning the User Interface and setting it up is part of learning the software. All the help you need, including all of the autocad commands can be found in the link above and it makes troubleshooting a breeze when you know something can be done, but you don’t know the specific AutoCAD command to actually do it is. Autocad also has a built-in help screen that pops up for quick in-depth autocad command searches. Another way to get quick help is simply to start typing and the Command Window and cursor will offer suggested commands.
Thanks for reading to the end of this article. See you next time.

References

All information in this article is from personal experience using AutoCAD and/or is taken directly from the Help webpages at AutoDesk or the Help Tools built into the software.

This work is wholly my own and no AI was used to produce this material.