To Draw Lines

To Draw Lines

  1. Click Home tab > Draw panel > Line.
  2. Specify the start pint and end point of the line segment by clicking in the drawing area. 
  3. Continue specifying additional line segments. 
  4. To undo the previous line segment, enter  at the prompt. Click Undo on the Quick Access toolbar to cancel the entire series of line segments: 

  5. Press Enter or Esc when done or enter to close a series of line segments. 

Using Specific Coordinates

  1. Click Home tab > Draw panel > Line. 
  2. Type the coordinate value for the first point by typing the X value, a comma, then the Y value, for example 1.65,4.25. 
  3. Press the Spacebar or Enter. 
  4. Do one of the following:
    1. If dynamic input is on: Type the pound sign (#) followed by the X-value, a comma, then the Y-value, for example #4.0,6.75. 
    2. If dynamic input is off: Type the X value, a comma, then the Y value, for example 4.0,6.75.
  5. Press the Spacebar or Enter. 
When dynamic input is on, relative coordinates are the default. When dynamic input is off, absolute coordinates are the default. Press F12 to turn dynamic input on or off. 

Using a Relative Coordinate

  1. Click Home tab > Draw panel > Line. 
  2. Specify the first point. 
  3. To specify the second point relative to the first point, do one of the following: 
    1. If dynamic input is on: Type the X-value, a comma, then the Y-value, for example 4.0,6.75. 
    2. If dynamic input is off: Type the at sign (@) followed by the X-value, a comma, then the Y-value, for example @4.0,6.75. 
  4. Press the Spacebar or Enter. 

A Specific Length

  1. Click Home tab > Draw panel > Line. 
  2. Specify the start point. 
  3. Do one of the following to specify the length: 
    1. Move the cursor to indicate the direction and angle, and enter the length, for example 6.5. 
    2. Enter the at symbol (@) and the length, followed by the left angle bracket (<) and the angle, for example @6.5<45. 
  4. Press the Spacebar or Enter. 

At a Specific Angle 

  1. Click Home tab > Draw panel > Line. 
  2. Specify the start point. 
  3. Do one of the following to specify the angle: 
    1. Enter the left angle bracket (<) and the angle, for example <45, and move the cursor to indicate the direction. 
    2. Enter polar coordinates, for example 2.5<45. 
    3. Press F8 to turn on Ortho to lock the angle to horizontal and vertical directions. You can also press Shift when specifying the next point for a horizontal or vertical direction. 
    4. Press F10 to turn on polar tracking. You might need to use the DSETTINGS command, Polar Tracking tab to specify additional polar angles and choose the option to track all polar angle settings. 
    5. Move the cursor to indicate an approximate angle. 
  4. Do one of the following to specify the length: 
    1. Click a point to specify the endpoint with or without using object snaps. Trim or extend the resulting line as needed. 
    2. Enter the length of the line, for example 2.5. 
  5. Press the Spacebar or Enter. 

At a Specific Angle to Another Line

Temporarily aligning the UCS icon with an existing line makes it easy to draw a line at a specific angle to another line. 
  1. At the command prompt, enter UCS. 
  2. Enter ob for Object and select the existing line. 
  3. The UCS origin (0,0,0) is redefined. 

  4. Click Home tab > Draw panel > Line. 
  5. Specify the start point. 
  6. Do one of the following to specify the angle: 
    1. Enter the left angle bracket (<) and the angle, for example <45, and move the cursor to indicate the direction. 
    2. Move the cursor to indicate the approximate angle. 
  7. Specify the second point. 
  8. Press the Spacebar or Enter. 
  9. At the command prompt, enter UCS. 
  10. Enter for Previous to reset the UCS origin. 
Powered by  AutoCAD ®
    • Related Articles

    • AutoCAD Keyboard Commands

      Learning how to use AutoCAD keyboard commands can help you work faster and improve your efficiency. This article lists the abbreviated commands that can be used in AutoCAD (Toolbox). Toggle General Features Ctrl+G Toggle Grid Ctrl+E Cycle isometric ...
    • Draw Commands

      The following topics will review the commands available on the Draw toolbar. Draw Toolbar Line Command The line command will allow you to create a series of contiguous line segments. Each segment is a line object that can be edited separately. ...
    • How to Use the SECTIONPLANE Command to Create Sections

      A very common request when working in 3D is how to create 2D sections from 3D objects. These 2D drawings may represent elevation sections, cross-sections, or 3D sections. It is possible to draw product sections from Toolbox, but this tutorial will ...
    • About Arcs

      Create arcs by specifying various combinations of center, endpoint, start point, radius, angle, chord length, and direction values.  Arcs are drawn in a counterclockwise direction by default. Hold down the Ctrl keys as you drag to draw in a clockwise ...
    • How to Join Polylines, Splines, Lines, and Arcs Into a Single Polyline

      Click Home tab/Modify panel/Edit Polyline.   (Find) Select a polyline, spline, line, or arc to edit. If you selected a spline, line, or arc, press Enter to convert the selected object into a polyline. Enter "J" (Join). Select one or more polylines, ...
    • Recent Articles

    • Microvellum Release Notes | Build 25.2.0406.641

      The following release notes apply to Microvellum build 25.2.0406.641. Label Image Fix Fig. 1: An error noting an incorrect number of Label Images. An issue was reported wherein creating new G-code from an existing work order that was edited using ...
    • Microvellum Foundation Library Release Notes | Build 26.0327

      The following release notes apply to Microvellum Foundation Library build 26.0327. Additions Added new Formula Driven Materials (FDM) and accompanying special FDM project wizard. * New Specification Group “Wizard Formula Driven Materials [FDM]”. New ...
    • Formula Driven Materials (FDM) User Guide

      The formula driven material (FDM) system in Microvellum automates the creation and management of materials within a project. By using predefined lookup tables and intelligent formulas, FDM dynamically generates each material’s name, thickness, and ...
    • Microvellum Release Notes | Build 25.2.0330.641

      The following release notes apply to Microvellum build 25.2.0330.641. Formula Editor Fix There was a recurring issue wherein attempting to edit any formula within the Part Properties of the software would result in an error. This would only occur ...
    • Microvellum Release Notes: Year of 2026

      This document will catalog all releases for Microvellum software builds that are released in the year 2026. This currently encompasses builds 25.2.0114.641 to 25.1.0406.641. Microvellum Release Notes | Build 25.2.0406.641 The following release notes ...