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CADTutor provides the best free tutorials and articles for AutoCAD, 3ds Max and associated applications along with a friendly community forum. If you need to learn AutoCAD, or you want to be more productive, you're in the right place. See our tip of the day to start learning right now!
Free Tutorials and More…
The Tutorials section provides over 100 original tutorials for AutoCAD, 3ds Max and other design applications. Michael’s Corner is an archive of productivity articles that brings you the best AutoCAD tips and tricks. Our Forum is a lively community where AutoCAD users can ask questions and get answers. The Downloads area provides free AutoCAD blocks, free AutoLISP routines and free images.
Tutorials of the Moment
Recently viewed tutorials
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Drawing Objects
Getting to grips with AutoCAD's basic drawing tools. This is an ideal start for the AutoCAD beginner. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: less than one minute ago
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Object Snap
A tutorial giving an overview of all the AutoCAD object snaps (osnaps) with some worked examples. The tutorial also covers the use of temporary tracking points and object snap tracking. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: 1 minute ago
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AutoCAD 2010: Ribbon Basics
This video tutorial introduces you to the AutoCAD 2010 ribbon and demonstrates the various options you have when working with it. Running time: 5min 49sec Format: Video
Last visited: 1 minute ago
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AutoCAD 2010: Joining Lines, Polylines and Arcs
This video tutorial demonstrates how to join lines, polylines and arcs using the Join command and the Edit Polyline command. Running time: 6min 49sec Format: Video
Last visited: 4 minutes ago
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Adding Sunlight to your Drawings
This tutorial takes you through the steps required to add realistic sunlight effects to your 3D model. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: 10 minutes ago
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Volumetrics
This tutorial describes how to use Key TERRA-FIRMA to calculate volumes from ground models (.KGM files) and how to calculate cut and fill volumes between ground models. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: 17 minutes ago
CADTutor Tutorials
Our tutorials are comprehensive but straightforward introductions to AutoCAD and related software. They are designed to help beginners get to grips with design workflows as quickly as possible. There are over 100 to choose from, some text/image based and others in video format. Whatever stage you are at in your learning, you should find a tutorial to help.
Forum Latest
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CADTutor Forums
Our forum is a vibrant community of experts and beginners. The main focus is helping beginners get to grips with AutoCAD and to help more advanced users become more productive. The AutoLISP forum is one of the busiest out there, providing expert advice for busy professionals.
AutoCAD Productivity
Text Frame on Mtext
From: AutoCAD Productivity Articles #148
Originally published: October 2016
Yes, you can Enclose Text in Objects from Express Tools — See Michael's Corner, June 2004 — but when using the Text Frame property on Mtext, the frame adjusts when you size the Mtext or change the text content!

Just select your Mtext, open Properties [Ctrl 1], then set Text Frame to <Yes>.
To test it, change the size of your Mtext or edit the content and the frame automatically adjusts!
See all the articles published in October 2016
Michael's Corner
Between 2003 and 2016, Michael Beall (and one or two guests) wrote almost 600 articles for CADTutor. The focus of these articles is AutoCAD productivity, and although some of them are now more than a few years old, most remain relevant to current versions of AutoCAD. The article above is just one example. Check out Michael's Corner for a full listing.
Image of the Week
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12th – 18th October 2026
This week's image is by boofredlay
Software used: SketchUp and Twilight Render
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Last Week's Image
Last week's image is by mitchellrodhous
Software used: AutoCAD 2011
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Two Weeks Ago
This image is by herdy1212
Software used: 3ds Max
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Three Weeks Ago
This image is by Dorian
Software used: AutoCAD 2008
Gallery of Work
Over the years, our forum members have contributed hundreds of images, showcasing their amazing work. The images above are just a small selection that demonstrate the wide range of project types our community is involved with. Take a look at our gallery to see all the images published in the last 12 months.
Tip of the Day
AutoCAD's Spell Checker
You can spell check one or more blocks of text using AutoCAD's in-built spell checker. Select from the pull-down menu or just type SPELL at the command line. When prompted, select as many blocks of text as you like and then hit the Enter key. What you get is the Check Spelling dialogue box, which works in exactly the same way as the spell checker in Microsoft Word.
Missed a Tip?
Did you miss yesterday's tip? Maybe you forgot to drop by or maybe you don't visit over the weekend. If so, you can now see all the tips published during the past week. Also, if you have a tip you'd like to share with us, you can post it on our forum and if we like it, we'll publish it here.