2D CAD & Drafting Techniques is the practical reference for creating and managing accurate two-dimensional drawings. It covers geometry creation, editing commands, object properties, blocks, external references, text, tables, layouts, plotting and drawing cleanup. The topics apply across AutoCAD and many other general-purpose CAD platforms.
Explore This CADpedia Section
Use this section as a command-neutral drafting guide, then connect each concept to the software pages and command references.
Creating 2D Geometry
Key topics include Lines, Polylines, Multilines, Circles, Arcs, and Ellipses. Additional entries will expand the subject with definitions, methods, examples and related standards.
Representative topics: Lines, Polylines, Multilines, Circles, Arcs, Ellipses, Rectangles, Polygons.
Editing Geometry
Key topics include Move, Copy, Rotate, Scale, Mirror, and Offset. Additional entries will expand the subject with definitions, methods, examples and related standards.
Representative topics: Move, Copy, Rotate, Scale, Mirror, Offset, Trim, Extend.
Object Properties
Key topics include Layers, Colors, Line Types, Line Weights, Transparency, and Plot Styles. Additional entries will expand the subject with definitions, methods, examples and related standards.
Representative topics: Layers, Colors, Line Types, Line Weights, Transparency, Plot Styles, Object Properties, Property Inheritance.
Reusable 2D Content
Key topics include CAD Blocks, Static Blocks, Dynamic Blocks, Parametric Blocks, Block Attributes, and Annotative Blocks. Additional entries will expand the subject with definitions, methods, examples and related standards.
Representative topics: CAD Blocks, Static Blocks, Dynamic Blocks, Parametric Blocks, Block Attributes, Annotative Blocks, Symbol Libraries, Detail Libraries.
External References
Key topics include Xrefs, Attachments, Overlays, Nested Xrefs, Relative Paths, and Absolute Paths. Additional entries will expand the subject with definitions, methods, examples and related standards.
Representative topics: Xrefs, Attachments, Overlays, Nested Xrefs, Relative Paths, Absolute Paths, Reference Clipping, Reference Binding.
Text, Tables and Data
Key topics include Single-Line Text, Multiline Text, Text Styles, Fields, Tables, and Table Styles. Additional entries will expand the subject with definitions, methods, examples and related standards.
Representative topics: Single-Line Text, Multiline Text, Text Styles, Fields, Tables, Table Styles, Data Links, Attribute Extraction.
Layouts and Plotting
Key topics include Model Space, Paper Space, Layouts, Viewports, Viewport Scales, and Annotation Scales. Additional entries will expand the subject with definitions, methods, examples and related standards.
Representative topics: Model Space, Paper Space, Layouts, Viewports, Viewport Scales, Annotation Scales, Plot Scales, Page Setups.
Drawing Cleanup
Key topics include Purging, Auditing, Recovering Drawings, Removing Duplicate Objects, Simplifying Polylines, and Fixing Open Polylines. Additional entries will expand the subject with definitions, methods, examples and related standards.
Representative topics: Purging, Auditing, Recovering Drawings, Removing Duplicate Objects, Simplifying Polylines, Fixing Open Polylines, Resolving Missing References, Resolving Missing Fonts.
How CADpedia Organizes This Knowledge
Each topic is developed as a separate encyclopedic entry. Definitions explain the terminology, reference pages document standards and formats, software profiles describe platforms, and practical entries connect the concepts to professional workflows. Related pages are linked across categories so readers can move from theory to software, standards, files and industry applications without repeating the same information.