How to Start Drawing 2D in AutoCAD for Beginners

TL;DR

AutoCAD works fastest when you type commands into the bottom command line instead of clicking tool icons, and beginners should draw in 2D before attempting 3D modeling. You spend nearly all your time in three tabs (Home, Insert, Annotate), pan with the scroll-wheel drag, zoom to the cursor, and disable lasso selection via options for a cleaner rectangular marquee.

Transcript

AutoCAD is a popular computer AED design software used to design and model in 2D and 3D in this University course you will learn the basics of AutoCAD hello hello hello and welcome to a a05 um a course a first a course that we teach for the first year students in lth in Lindon University um and this course is all about showing you the basics of Aut... Read More

Key Insights

• AutoCAD is computer-aided design software used to design and model in both 2D and 3D, but this beginner course focuses entirely on two-dimensional drawing rather than three-dimensional modeling because it creates an easier learning curve.
• Typing commands into the command line is faster than clicking tool icons, so the instructor almost never uses the icons and recommends memorizing shortcuts because it speeds up the drawing process considerably.
• The Home tab is where you spend about 99% of your time, with the Insert and Annotate tabs used occasionally; every other ribbon tab is ignored entirely in this course.
• AutoCAD is not considered great for three-dimensional modeling compared to competitors, which is one reason the course teaches drawing first and modeling later rather than everything at once.
• Panning the viewport is done by clicking and holding the scroll wheel of the mouse, while scrolling the wheel zooms in and out, always zooming toward wherever the cursor is positioned.
• The lasso selection behavior can be disabled by typing 'options', going to the Selection menu, and unticking 'allow press and drag for lasso', which restores a rectangular selection marquee.
• The two-dimensional grid is the main viewport, and clicking the top of the orientation box keeps the view flat in 2D, with arrows available to rotate the top orientation back to the standard north-south-east-west position.
• Crosshair size can be increased in the Display options (for example to 100) to help check whether objects are aligned, though the instructor keeps it at the default value of five most of the time.

Questions & Answers

Q: Does this AutoCAD course cover 2D drawing or 3D modeling?

This course covers only two-dimensional drawing, not three-dimensional modeling. The instructor explains that AutoCAD is not that great for three-dimensional modeling compared to competitors, and that it is better to first learn how to draw and then learn how to model, rather than trying to learn everything all at once. This approach creates a much easier learning curve, so the 3D tools such as wall and door are ignored throughout the course.

Q: Why should you learn AutoCAD commands instead of clicking icons?

Learning the commands or shortcuts for tools rather than clicking on their icons speeds up your drawing process quite a bit. The instructor says he almost never uses the icons anymore and just types in the commands, and that anyone you ask who uses AutoCAD does the same. Although the course will show where the icons are located, it also emphasizes memorizing the shortcuts because remembering them makes drawing noticeably faster once you are used to the program.

Q: Which ribbon tabs do you use most in AutoCAD?

You spend about 99% of your time in the Home tab. The Insert tab is used from time to time for one or two tools, and the Annotate tab also gets good use. Every other tab is ignored in this course because it does not matter for the work being taught. Concentrating on these three tabs keeps the interface manageable for beginners rather than overwhelming them with every available tool and panel.

Q: How do you pan and zoom in the AutoCAD viewport?

To move inside the view, you click and hold the scroll wheel of the mouse to pan the view, since there is no right-click-and-hold panning. Scrolling the wheel zooms out and in. Importantly, AutoCAD always zooms into wherever your cursor is positioned, so placing the cursor over the area you want to focus on before scrolling lets you zoom directly toward that spot in the drawing.

Q: How do you turn off the lasso selection in AutoCAD?

The instructor dislikes the lasso selection method and removes it by typing 'options' into the command line and pressing enter to open the options menu. In the Selection section there is a setting labeled 'allow press and drag for lasso' with a tick mark, which is the culprit. Unticking it and hitting apply restores a rectangular selection marquee instead of the lasso, giving a cleaner, more predictable selection behavior.

Q: What is the command line in AutoCAD used for?

The command line is located at the bottom of the screen and is where you write all of the commands. For example, you can type 'options' and hit enter to open the options menu directly. Using the command line to type tool commands rather than clicking icons is the faster workflow the instructor recommends, and it is central to how experienced AutoCAD users operate the software efficiently.

Q: How do you keep the AutoCAD view in flat 2D?

The grid in the viewport is a two-dimensional view, but clicking on the side of the orientation box can make it three-dimensional. To return to 2D, you click on the top of the box so it rotates back to two dimensions, keeping everything flat. If the 'top' label is not oriented properly, you use the arrows to rotate it back to the normal north, south, east, west, top position.

Q: What does changing the crosshair size do in AutoCAD?

In the Display section of the options menu you can change the crosshair size. Increasing it, for example to 100, makes the mouse crosshair extend across the screen, which is quite useful for checking whether objects are aligned properly. The instructor has used it for a while and finds it convenient, but notes it can sometimes get in the way, so he changes it back to the default value of five.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• AutoCAD is 2D and 3D design software, and this first-year Lund University (LTH) course teaches the basics of CAD drawing, focusing only on two-dimensional drawing rather than 3D modeling because it is an easier learning curve for beginners.

• The interface centers on the ribbon menu located under the large 'A' button, where the Home tab handles nearly all work and Insert and Annotate are used occasionally. Typing commands into the bottom command line is faster than clicking icons, so memorizing shortcuts is strongly encouraged.

• Navigation uses the scroll wheel: press and hold it to pan, scroll to zoom toward the cursor, and keep the view flat in 2D. Typing 'options' opens settings where you can disable the disliked lasso selection and adjust crosshair size before starting to draw.