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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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Site Layout Exercise 2
This exercise is designed to progress your skills in 2D drafting and to test your understanding of layouts and printing to scale from paper space. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: less than one minute ago
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All About Images
This tutorial tells you all you need to know about working with images in AutoCAD. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: 4 minutes ago
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Paper Space Exercise
AutoCAD's paper space mode is a bit like having a page in a scrapbook onto which you can paste different views of your AutoCAD drawing. This whole page can then be plotted. This exercise demonstrates how. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: 6 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: 6 minutes 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: 7 minutes ago
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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: 8 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
Shorten the Plot Scales List in a Viewport
From: AutoCAD Productivity Articles #140
Originally published: June 2015
If you plot from a viewport on a Layout tab, and you have a specific collection of plot scales you typically use, you may be interested in editing that list to display only the ones you need to see.
There are other approaches to accessing the same plot scale regularly, but this is one of the most straightforward.
How to Modify the List of Plot Scales
When you're in a viewport, click the location on the Status bar where you see the scale/factor for the current viewport.
Scroll to the bottom, then click Custom… to open the Edit Drawing Scales dialog box.
I would recommend keeping 1:1, but then select those plot scales you really don't need, then click Delete.
Organize the ones you use all the time by using Move Up or Move Down.

Note: If you totally gom it up, you can always hit Reset, then choose your desired collection of either Imperial, Metric, or both.
See all the articles published in June 2015
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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11th – 17th May 2026
This week's image is by Lazarus
Software used: AutoCAD 2009
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Last Week's Image
Last week's image is by abstracted
Software used: Inventor and 3ds Max
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Two Weeks Ago
This image is by Noahma
Software used: AutoCAD Architecture 2009
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This image is by rgarjr
Software used: Inventor
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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
Oops is your friend
Most AutoCAD users know about the undo command, which allows you to step back through the command sequence. This is useful if you make a mistake and need to retrace your steps. But what if you deleted something a while back and in the meantime you did some useful stuff that you don't want to lose in order to recover your deleted stuff. Oops to the rescue!
The oops command recovers the last deleted selection set, without undoing everything in-between. It can also be used to recover objects removed after using block or wblock.
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.