LIST OF COMMANDS USED IN AUTOCAD

Command Description Options

ARC Draws an arc. The default method of A Included angle

drawing arcs is selecting three points
or (so-called “3-point arc"), which are the C Center point of arc
two endpoints of the arc and some
A enter other point along its locus. Other D Direction angle of a line tangent to the
methods of drawing an arc can be arc
specified by three letters, such as
SEA, which means "Start Point, End E Endpoint of arc
Point, and Included Angle."
L Length of chord passing thru both
endpoints of the arc

R Radius

S Start point of arc

<RET> uses the end of the last line or arc as the

start point for the arc

AREA Computes the area of any shape by A sets "Add" mode

selecting points at the corners of the
shape, or by selecting a circle or S sets "Subtract" mode
polyline after typing or picking the "E"
option E computes area of selected circle or
polyline

ARRAY Makes multiple copies of selected R rectangular array type

objects in a rectangular (parallel with
the snap rotation) or circular pattern P "polar" array type in circular pattern, you
must indicate number of items and angle
to fill, and whether the objects get rotated
with the angle

C "circular" array type in a circular pattern,

you must indicate angle between items,
angle to fill, and whether objects get
rotated with the angle

BREAK Erases part of a line, arc or circle, or F allows respecification of first point
splits it into two lines or arcs
CIRCLE Draws a circle of any size. The default 2P Specifies circle by picking 2 points on
method is to pick a center point and the diameter
or pick a point on the radius or type the
radius dimension, but other methods 3P Specifies circle by picking 3 points
C enter can be selected. through which the circle will pass

D Allows entering the diameter dimension

instead of radius dimension

TTR Specifies circle by picking

two lines, arcs or circles for the
circle to be tangent to, and
entering the dimension of the
radius

<RET> Enters radius of circle (the

default)

COPY Draws a copy of selected objects M Allows multiple copies to be

using two methods -- "base point" made of an object
or method, or "displacement" method.

CP enter

FILL Controls whether solids, traces, wide can be transparent

polylines, and donuts will be filled with
ink. Note that fill is only visible when ON entities visually filled with
viewing these entities in plan solid ink
(perpendicular to line of sight)
OFF entities not visually filled but
are shown in outline only

GRID Displays a rectangular grid of white can be transparent

dots on the screen at a specified X-
and Y- spacing ON Turns grid display on

OFF Turns grid display off

S Locks grid spacing to SNAP

resolution

A Sets grid aspect (different X-

and Y- spacings

<number> Sets
grid spacing for
both X- and Y-
coordinates
 <number X> Sets
grid spacing to
multiple "X" of
snap spacing

HATCH Allows drawing of cross-hatching and <pattern-name> uses hatch

pattern filling pattern name from library file to fill
designated area with a pseudo-
block hatch entity -- can be
reduced to individual lines and
points by EXPLODEing it.

<*pattern-name> uses hatch

pattern name from library file to fill
designated area with individual
lines and points, not a block

U "User-defined" hatch pattern

drawn of parallel lines with a
specified distance between, at a
specified angle, and either single-
hatching or double (cross)-
hatching

? Lists names of available hatch

patterns

<pattern-name> or U can be
followed by a comma and the
following sub-commands:

I Ignores any boundaries

inside the outermost
boundary

N Normal style of
selecting boundaries with
alternating hatched and
unhatched nested areas

O Hatches outermost
boundary area only

LAYER Creates named drawing layers, can be transparent

assigns color and linetype properties
to those layers, allows layers to be C Assigns color to named layer
or
frozen and thawed, locked and
unlocked, and allows current layer to F Freezes named layers (comma
LA enter
be set separates a list of layers to be
frozen, * can be used as a
 wildcard) -- current layer cannot
be frozen

L Assigns linetype to named layer

LO Locks named layer

M Makes a layer -- creates a new

layer and makes it the current
layer

N Creates new layers with named

names (comma separates a list of
layers to be created, * can be
used as a wildcard)

ON Turns named layers on if they

were turned off (comma
separates a list of layers to be
turned on, * can be used as a
wildcard)

OFF Turns named layers off if

they were turned on (comma
separates a list of layers to be
turned off, * can be used as a
wildcard)

LINE Draws straight lines <RET> In reply to From

Point: prompt, line begins
or at end of previous line or
arc
L enter
C In reply to To point: prompt,
closes the polygon back to first
"From Point"

U In reply to To point: prompt,

undoes last line segment

LINETYPE A linetype is a series of lines and can be transparent

spaces -- dots and dashes --
? Lists a linetype library , or
named linetypes which are loaded
Sets the current linetype to be used
for all subsequent entities to be
drawn, allows creation of new linetype C Creates a linetype definition
definitions, and allows loading of
previously created linetypes from L Loads a previously creatred
DOS files linetype definition
 S Set current linetype -- note that
the current linetype should always
be set to the logical linetype
"BYLAYER"

LIST Lists all information about selected

object, such as what type of entity it is
(Line, Arc, Circle, Block, etc.), what
layer it is on, what color it is, the
location of its endpoints, what its Z-
axis (elevation), what its thickness is,
etc.

OFFSET Creates a new line, polyline arc or <number> specifies offset

circle parallel to the entity and at a distance
specified distance from it.
T "Through" allows
specification of a point
through which the offset
line, polyline, arc or circle
is to pass

OPEN Opens an existing drawing

ORTHO Constrains drawing so that only lines can be transparent

aligned with the grid can be drawn --
usually means only horizontal or
vertical lines, however, if the
crosshairs are rotated through the
"Snap" "Rotate" command sequence,
the lines drawn are constrained to
being parallel with the crosshair
rotation. Constraint can be overridden
by snapping to a point or by entering
exact coordinates for endpoints.

OSNAP Enables points to be precisely located can be transparent

on reference points of existing
objects. This is the so-called "Running CEN CENter of arc or
Mode" of OSNAP, which sets circle
selection method to run continuously
until set to NON (none) or until END closest ENDpoint of
overridden by selecting another arc or line
"Interrupt Mode" OSNAP method from
the cursor menu. Combinations of INS INSertion point of
OSNAP methods can be used by Text or Block
selecting a series of options
separated by commas. For instance, if
 you want ot always pick either INT INTersection of line,
endpoints or intersection points when arc, or circle
locating endpoints of lines, you would
issue the command as follows: MID MIDpoint of line, arc,
rectangle side, or polygon
OSNAP <RET> END,INT <RET> side

NEA NEArest point

selected by aperture on
line, polyline, arc, or circle

NOD NODe (another

name for a Point)

NON NONe -- used when

a "Running OSNAP" is on
to temporarily turn off
OSNAP selection

PER PERpendicular point

to line, arc or circle --
when used with an arc or
circle it will draw a line to
the surface of the arc or
circle heading toward the
center point

QUA QUAdrant point of

arc or circle (top, bottom,
right or left side)

QUI QUIck mode -- this is

a modifier to one of the
other OSNAP options -- it
will find the first point that
meets the requirements,
not necessarily the
closest point to the
aperture.

TAN TANgent point to arc

or circle

PLOT Plots a drawing to a plotting device, a

printer, or to a "Plot File."

QSAVE Saves the current drawing "Quickly"

without requesting a filename (as long
as file has already been given a
name)
QUIT Exits AutoCAD -- if the current
drawing has not been Saveds in its
current state, a dialogue box will
appear asking if you want to Save the
drawing, Discard the changes, or
Cancel the Exit command

REDO Reverses a previous command if it

was U or UNDO

RESUME Resumes an interrupted command can be transparent

script

ROTATE Rotates existing objects parallel to the

current UCS

SAVE Requests a filename and saves the

drawing

SAVEAS Same as SAVE, but also renames the

current drawing and keeps the new
name current

SCALE Alters the size of existing objects R Resizes with respect to a

reference size

SHAPE Draws predefined Shapes ? Lists available Shape names

TEXT Draws text characters of any size with J Prompts for justification options
selected styles
S Lists or selects text style

A Aligns text between two points,

with style-specified width factor,
AutoCAD computes approximate
height proportional to length of
text line

C Centers text horizontally about

a defined point

F Fits text between two points,

with specified height, AutoCAD
computes approximate width
 factor to fill the distance between
the two points

M Centers text horizontally and

vertically about a defined point

R Right-justifies text

BL Bottom Left justification

BC Bottom Center justification

BR Bottom Right justification

ML Middle Left justification

MC Middle Center justification

MR Middle Right justification

TL Top Left justification

TC Top Center justification

TR Top Right justification

UNDO Reverses the effect of multiple <number> Undoes the

commands, and provides control over <number> of most recent
the "Undo" facility commands in reverse
order

UNITS Selects coordinate and angle display can be transparent

formats and precision