Last reviewed 16 Sept 2026 · 7 min read
Lines and construction lines
| Command | Description / options |
|---|---|
| LINE (L) | Draws individual line segments; each segment is a separate object. Options: Close (C) joins to the first point; Undo (U) removes the last segment |
| XLINE (XL) | Construction line infinite in both directions — options Horizontal, Vertical, Angle, Bisect, Offset; used for projections and layout |
| RAY | Line infinite in one direction from a start point |
Polyline
PLINE (PL) draws a single object made of connected line and arc segments.
- Options: Arc, Halfwidth, Length, Undo, Width (start and end widths — tapered lines, arrows), Close.
- Advantages: one object — easy to offset, fillet at all corners, calculate area/length, extrude to 3D.
- PEDIT edits polylines — Join, Width, Fit, Spline, Decurve, Open/Close; EXPLODE converts to lines and arcs (losing width).
- LWPOLYLINE (lightweight) is the default 2D polyline type.
Rectangles and polygons
RECTANG (REC)
- Specify two opposite corners, or use Dimensions, Area or Rotation options.
- Other options: Chamfer, Fillet (rounded corners), Elevation, Thickness, Width.
- Creates a closed polyline.
POLYGON (POL)
- Regular polygons with 3 to 1024 sides.
- Methods: centre with Inscribed in circle (I) (radius to vertices) or Circumscribed about circle (C) (radius to midpoints of sides), or Edge (E) — two end points of one side.
- Creates a closed polyline.
Circles and arcs
CIRCLE (C) options
| Option | Input |
|---|---|
| Center, Radius (default) | Centre point and radius |
| Center, Diameter | Centre point and diameter |
| 2P | Two end points of a diameter |
| 3P | Three points on the circumference |
| TTR (Tangent, Tangent, Radius) | Two objects to be tangent to and the radius |
| TTT (Tangent, Tangent, Tangent) | Tangent to three objects (from ribbon) |
ARC (A)
- Default method: 3-point arc (start, second point, end).
- Other methods (about 11 combinations) use Start, Center, End, Angle (included angle), Length (chord length), Direction (tangent direction) and Radius, e.g. Start–Center–End, Start–End–Radius, Center–Start–Angle, Continue (tangent to last line/arc).
- Arcs are drawn anticlockwise by default from start to end (a positive included angle is anticlockwise).
Ellipses and splines
- ELLIPSE (EL) — by axis end points and other half-axis distance, or by Center; option Rotation (ellipse as a circle rotated about the major axis); Arc option for elliptical arcs; in isometric snap mode, Isocircle option draws isometric circles.
- SPLINE (SPL) — smooth curves through fit points or defined by control vertices (CV); used for contours, irregular boundaries, river banks; edited by SPLINEDIT or grips.
Points, DIVIDE and MEASURE
- POINT (PO) — places point objects; DDPTYPE (Point Style) sets appearance and size (default single dot may be hard to see).
- DIVIDE (DIV) — places points (or blocks) dividing an object into n equal segments (n − 1 markers). The object is not broken.
- MEASURE (ME) — places points (or blocks) at specified intervals starting from the end nearest the pick point.
- Use Node object snap to snap to points.
Other draw objects
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| DONUT (DO) | Filled rings or solid filled circles (inner diameter 0) — e.g. reinforcement bars in sections |
| REVCLOUD | Revision clouds to highlight changes |
| REGION (REG) | Converts closed loops into 2D region objects (for Boolean operations and mass properties) |
| BOUNDARY (BO) | Creates a closed polyline or region from an enclosed area picked inside |
| MLINE | Multiple parallel lines (styles via MLSTYLE) — walls; edited with MLEDIT |
| WIPEOUT | Masks underlying objects |
| TABLE | Tables with rows/columns (schedules, BBS) — can link to Excel data |
| SKETCH | Freehand line segments |
| HELIX | 2D/3D spirals |