Exploring the

AutoCAD USER INTERFACE

A quote by Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single
step.” In much the same way, learning AutoCAD is something anyone can do by taking it one
step at a time. And I promise that AutoCAD is much easier than walking a thousand miles!

Before you can use AutoCAD, you’ll need to familiarize yourself thoroughly with its graphical
user interface (GUI).
 STANDARD
WORKSPACES OF
AUTOCAD

WORKSPACE are stored sets of user interface controls, which include menus, toolbars, palettes,
and the ribbon. It is grouped and organized so that you can work in a custom, task-oriented
drawing environment.
DRAFTING & ANNOTATION. Utilizing the Ribbon, this workspace is considered the default
AutoCAD workspace.
3D BASICS. Provides the core tools needed to get started with 3D modeling in AutoCAD.
3D MODELING. Provides the complete set of 3D modeling tools found in AutoCAD, including
materials via the Materials Browser.
APPLICATION MENU. The Application menu contains the tools for opening, saving, and printing
(plotting) your drawings. These options are similar to the File drop-down menu that has been
deprecated since the Ribbon was introduced in AutoCAD.
QUICK ACCESS TOOLBAR. Located to the right of the Application menu, the Quick Access
toolbar provides immediate access to some of the most frequently used commands to
complete tasks such as creating, opening, saving, and plotting drawings. This toolbar is a
customizable element of the UI that maintains a consistent appearance as you interact with
your designs.
INFOCENTER Located at the far right of the title bar, containing the Search, Autodesk 360,
Autodesk Exchange Apps, and Help buttons. It consists of a set of tools on the right side of the
title bar that enable you to access many product-related information sources. You can enter a
question in the field to the left of the Search button to access information from a number of
locations quickly, including the standard AutoCAD help system through the drop-down panel.
The Autodesk 360 button allows you to sign in with your Autodesk ID and access a wealth of
cloud-based services that integrate with AutoCAD. The Help button is a direct link to the
AutoCAD help system (also accessible by pressing the F1 key).
CASCADING DROP-DOWN MENUS. These menus, so named because they drop out like a
waterfall, may be hidden initially, but you can easily make them visible via the down arrow at
the very top left of the screen, just to the right of the Undo and Redo arrows. A lengthy menu
appears. Select “Show Menu Bar” toward the bottom and the cascading menus appear as a
band across the top of the screen, above the Ribbon.
RIBBON a palette that displays buttons and controls used for both 2D drawing and annotation
and 3D modeling, viewing, and rendering.
DRAWING TAB or FILE TAB A tab at the top of the drawing window that corresponds to an
open drawing.
IN-CANVASS VIEWPORT CONTROLS (VIEWPORT MENU or IN-CANVASS MENU) menu that
provides a convenient way of changing views, visual styles, and other settings.
CROSSHAIRS A type of cursor consisting of two lines that intersect that allows you to navigate
the drawing area to precisely compose your designs.
TOOLBAR/S. contain icons that can be pressed to activate commands. They are an alternative
to typing and the Ribbon, and most commands can be accessed this way. Toolbars are
generally falling out of favor among some users, who prefer the Ribbon, but which approach to
use remains a personal choice. We always try to have the relevant toolbars open throughout
the book for learning purposes.
VIEWCUBE A user interface element found in the upper-right corner of the drawing area that
displays the current orientation of a model, and allows you to interactively rotate the current
view or restore a preset view.
is a navigation tool that is displayed when you are working in 2D model space or 3D visual
style. It is a persistent, clickable and draggable interface that you use to switch between
standard and isometric views of your model.
is primarily used for navigating three-dimensional drawings. It provides access to 26 predefined
view orientations in addition to the basic ability to pivot a drawing.
NAVIGATION BAR. used to conveniently access several product-specific navigation tools which
provides access to several universal and product-specific navigation tools such as the wheel,
pan, and zoom. These tools, are designed to mimic navigation features found in other
Autodesk products such as Autodesk® Revit®.
UCS ICON An icon that indicates the orientation of the UCS axes.
The UCS icon, an essential part of AutoCAD system, is found in the lower-left corner of the
drawing area and indicates the positive coordinates for the x-, y-, and z-axes.
COMMAND WINDOW or COMMAND LINE A text area reserved for keyboard input, prompts,
and messages.
STATUS BAR Displays drawing statistics, modes, and extents. All coordinates and distances are
displayed by STATUS in the format specified by UNITS.
bar aligned to the bottom-right corner of the Application window. Tools located on the status
bar are primarily focused on helping you draw and on managing the user interface.
LAYOUT TABS or PAPERSPACE TABS. represent the piece of paper used to document a design.
DRAWING AND CONSTRUCTION AIDS. These various settings assist you in drafting and
modeling. Some of them contain selectable menus (look for the little black upside-down
triangles), where you can set or choose even more options. The full menu of what is available
can be seen by clicking the tab with the three short horizontal lines (Customization button) all
the way on the right of the construction aids. If an option is checked, the corresponding
button is visible in the horizontal menu. For all of the drawing aids, remember, if they are gray,
they are off; if they are blue, they are on.
 Quiz
Click the Quiz button to edit this object
References:

 Autodesk AutoCAD Offline Help

 Gindis, E. (2017). Up and Running with AutoCAD®
2017 2D and 3D Drawing and Modeling.
 Gladfelter, D. (2014). AutoCAD 2015 and AutoCAD LT
2015: No Experience Required.
 Onstott, S. (2014). AutoCAD ® 2014 and AutoCAD LT
® 2014 Essentials.
 Onstott, S. (2017). AutoCAD® 2018 AND AutoCAD
LT® 2018 Essentials, Scott Onstott, Sybex