Learn AutoCAD with our Free Tutorials
Welcome to CADTutor
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
-
Keyframe Animation
This tutorial gives a basic but comprehensive introduction to keyframe animation in Bryce and introduces some key concepts in animation generally. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: less than one minute ago
-
User Co-ordinate Systems
This tutorial describes what UCSs are, why we need them and how to use them. The correct use of UCSs with AutoCAD is the key to producing good 3D models and they can also help with 2D work. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: 1 minute ago
-
Project Overview
This tutorial describes the process of creating a 3D infrastructure and landscape scene from an AutoCAD design drawing using MAX/VIZ and Quickscape application software. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: 1 minute ago
-
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: 1 minute ago
-
The UCS Icon
All about the UCS icon. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: 2 minutes ago
-
Editing and Saving Materials
Once materials have been created and edited in the Material Editor to suit a particular scene they no longer need to be kept in the Materials Editor. Materials can be saved in material libraries and retreived for use in any other scene. This tutorial shows you how. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: 2 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.
Forum Latest
Currently Active Topics
Same Penn Foster Oleson Subdivision Nightmare... different day
by Ztrain
13 replies
Last post: 2 hours ago
stormwater linetype
by zeinah
12 replies
Last post: 3 hours ago
Please review and help edit .
by CAD2005
3 replies
Last post: 3 hours ago
Creating a viewport in the layout space
by Nikon
23 replies
Last post: 3 hours ago
wms connection
by GRBA_KASTAV
3 replies
Last post: 11 hours ago
Penn Foster Student Suffering with Oleson Village Map!!!
by AutoCad Student
489 replies
Last post: 13 hours ago
This Week's Hot Topics
foreach
by maahee
26 replies
Viewed: 1087 times
Creating a viewport in the layout space
by Nikon
23 replies
Viewed: 617 times
Same Penn Foster Oleson Subdivision Nightmare... different day
by Ztrain
13 replies
Viewed: 105 times
Please review and help me fix this error
by CAD2005
7 replies
Viewed: 577 times
Localised variable inside a lambda function
by LanloyLisp
5 replies
Viewed: 286 times
size texts and layer ...routine help
by leonucadomi
5 replies
Viewed: 246 times
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
Text Frame on Mtext
From: AutoCAD Productivity Articles #148
Originally published: October 2016
Yes, you can Enclose Text in Objects from Express Tools — See Michael's Corner, June 2004 — but when using the Text Frame property on Mtext, the frame adjusts when you size the Mtext or change the text content!
Just select your Mtext, open Properties [Ctrl 1], then set Text Frame to <Yes>.
To test it, change the size of your Mtext or edit the content and the frame automatically adjusts!
See all the articles published in October 2016
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
-
24th February to 2nd March 2025
This week's image is by Marty Evans
Software used: AutoCAD 2008
-
Last Week's Image
Last week's image is by papagyi
Software used: AutoCAD 2008
-
Two Weeks Ago
This image is by Red333
Software used: AutoCAD Architecture 2009
-
Three Weeks Ago
This image is by mehiar
Software used: 3DS Max and mr Proxy
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
Salvage a corrupted drawing
So, you opened a drawing only to find it has been corrupted. You've tried Recover but to no avail. Now what?
As a last resort, open a new drawing and then insert the corrupted drawing into the new one (
). The insertion will only bring in the main (Model Space) components of the corrupted drawing; this trick does not recover any paper space objects. Hey, I didn't promise a miracle but it sure beats losing the drawing altogether now, doesn't it?.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.