Guide

CAD basics: the 10 commands you will use every day

CAD programs have hundreds of commands, but most drawings are made with about ten. Learn these and you can draw almost anything in 2D.

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Draw

  1. Line — the building block of everything.
  2. Rectangle — rooms, plates and boxes in one drag.
  3. Circle — holes, columns, round tables.

Edit

  1. Trim — cut lines back to where they cross.
  2. Extend — lengthen a line to meet another.
  3. Offset — a parallel copy at an exact distance.
  4. Move — put things exactly where they belong.
  5. Copy — repeat a shape without redrawing it.

Annotate and fix

  1. Dimension — the real sizes, written on the drawing.
  2. Undo — Ctrl+Z or ↩. Try things; you can always go back.

The idea that makes it work: snapping

Snapping locks points onto the grid and onto line ends, so everything meets exactly. Keep it on while you learn.

Questions

How long does it take to learn CAD?

The basics take an afternoon. Speed comes with practice. Start with a simple room or part and add dimensions.

Tools for this

LineStraight lines with snappingTrimCut lines back to where they crossOffset PROParallel copy at an exact distanceDimensionsLinear, angle, radius, diameterSnapGrid, end points, tangents, ortho

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