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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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The UCS Icon
All about the UCS icon. Format: Text/Image
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Adding Sunlight to your Drawings
This tutorial takes you through the steps required to add realistic sunlight effects to your 3D model. Format: Text/Image
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Object Snap
A tutorial giving an overview of all the AutoCAD object snaps (osnaps) with some worked examples. The tutorial also covers the use of temporary tracking points and object snap tracking. Format: Text/Image
Last visited: 3 minutes ago
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North Point Exercise
An exercise sheet, covering a range of basic skills including object snaps. Format: Text/Image
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Modifying Objects
This tutorial runs through all of the modify tools, demonstrating practical examples in each case. Format: Text/Image
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Creating Terrain Objects
This tutorial describes a method for creating terrain objects in 3DS using contours from AutoCAD. Format: Text/Image
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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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21st – 27th September 2026
This week's image is by Dorian
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Last Week's Image
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Tip of the Day
Shift for fillet radius zero
Do you get fed up having to set your Fillet alternately to a radius value and then to 0 to get a right angle?
You don't have to! Just fillet your lines while holding down Shift and the current default fillet radius value will be ignored.
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