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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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Entering Survey Data using AutoCAD
These techniques apply to basic CAD programs such as AutoCAD, IntelliCAD, etc. If you have a civil/survey program or add-on, such as Land Desktop, SurvCADD, Eagle Point, etc., then there are built-in tools for entering lines and curves. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: 1 minute ago
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Dimensioning
This tutorial describes the options and commands available for dimensioning drawings and how to use them. The correct use of AutoCADs dimension tools is the key to producing clear and concise measured drawings. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: 2 minutes ago
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Selection Methods
Keeping track of and selecting objects in a scene is a crucial part of 3D modelling. Develop a good strategy for naming, selecting, grouping and displaying objects before embarking on a project. This tutorial shows you the way. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: 3 minutes ago
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Object Properties
This tutorial describes how to control the display of objects (colour, linetype etc.) using layers. It also explains what layers are and how they should be used. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: 3 minutes ago
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Ground Modelling
This tutorial describes how to create a 3D surface model from contour information using AutoCAD and Key TERRA-FIRMA. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: 3 minutes ago
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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: 5 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.
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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
Layer Previous
From: AutoCAD Productivity Articles #132
Originally published: February 2014
Layers are the lifeblood in AutoCAD, and efficient management thereof is the key to your own quality of life; specifically, your sanity.
The Layer Previous button can be a real time saver and is, at its core, a Layer-specific ‘Undo’.
How to Use Layer Previous
Open a drawing, then make a new layer [MC_FEB2014], give it a color and make it current; this will be our testing layer.
Change the Color of any other layer in the current drawing, but don't make that layer current.
On our test layer, draw a small rectangle somewhere.
Click Layer Previous and the rectangle remains, but the color of the layer you changed is restored.
Freeze several existing layers, then Rotate the rectangle.
Click Layer Previous and the previously frozen layers are thawed… but the rectangle is still rotated!
See all the articles published in February 2014
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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19th – 25th October 2026
This week's image is by Oppie
Software used: AutoCAD 2011
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Last Week's Image
Last week's image is by boofredlay
Software used: SketchUp and Twilight Render
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Two Weeks Ago
This image is by mitchellrodhous
Software used: AutoCAD 2011
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Three Weeks Ago
This image is by herdy1212
Software used: 3ds Max
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
Command line in a window (F2)
The command line can be very useful, especially for beginners because AutoCAD often gives useful prompts which helps when learning how to use some of the more complicated commands. The command line is also used by AutoCAD to report information back to the user, but sometimes that information may run to several lines of text, and disappear from view. A good example of this is the Distance command (you can run this from the keyboard by typing DIST). The problem is that by default, the command line is only two lines high and so if you use the Distance command, you don't even see the distance reported to the command line.
One way round this problem is to increase the depth of the command line to show more lines but this takes up valuable drawing area. A better solution is to display the command window using the F2 key on the keyboard.
As you can see above, the command window also allows you to scroll back through the command line so that you can review your recent drawing history.
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.