Using AutoCAD will require you to have a licensed version of AutoCAD installed either on your desktop computer or your laptop. You will also require the following:

• A subscription (license) for AutoCAD. This will need to be the full version of AutoCAD, not AutoCAD LT. Ideally, this will be the latest version of AutoCAD: AutoCAD 2026. You can use earlier versions, but it is suggested that you go no further back than AutoCAD 2022.
• In order to use AutoCAD with a subscription, you will need an Autodesk account. If you do not have one, you can set one up at https://accounts.autodesk.com/.
• This book covers AutoCAD 2026, running on the Microsoft Windows Operating System (OS). All figures and graphics are from AutoCAD 2024 and the Windows 11 OS. However, this book contains instructions for both Windows and Mac users. While comprehensive instructions have been provided for Windows users, special instructions relating to deviations in the Mac interface have also been provided within callout boxes.
• All the graphics and drawings for this book can be found here: https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Mastering-AutoCAD.

Okay, let’s get into the chapter now!

Before we jump into the rest of the chapter and learn about how to tweak AutoCAD’s UI for our benefit, let us familiarize ourselves with the default AutoCAD interface settings. These are known as workspaces. As an AutoCAD user, you will have more than likely already been using these workspaces without knowing it.

The following default workspaces are available in AutoCAD:

• Drafting & Annotation: The Drafting & Annotation workspace is used primarily for 2D drafting in AutoCAD. This is the most-used AutoCAD workspace.
• 3D Basics: The 3D Basics workspace is exactly what it says: a basic 3D interface that is used for 3D modeling. It is, however, a limited, cut-down 3D interface with only basic functionality.
• 3D Modeling: The 3D Modeling workspace is a comprehensive 3D workspace that includes all the 3D ribbon tabs, panels, and commands. It would normally be the 3D workspace that you would use for everyday 3D modeling.

  I have introduced you to these default workspaces now so that you can check where to find them and ascertain which workspace you are currently using. To check which workspace is being used, you can click on the fly-out arrow to the right of the gearwheel icon on the status bar,as shown in Figure 1.1.

Figure 1.1: The gearwheel icon on the status bar

When clicking on the fly-out arrow, the Workspace menu appears. The preceding figure shows that the Drafting & Annotation workspace is the current one (as indicated by the checkmark next to it).

Make sure to check which workspace you are using, and for the purposes of this chapter, make sure to set the Drafting & Annotation workspace as current. We will go into workspaces in more depth in Chapter 2.

AutoCAD for Mac

Some of you might be using AutoCAD for Mac on an Apple computer that uses the macOS OS. The AutoCAD for Mac interface is decidedly different from the AutoCAD interface you would see when running it on Windows OS. Workspaces in AutoCAD for Mac work differently. You will find the Drafting and Modeling workspaces in AutoCAD for Mac at the top of the icon menu on the left-hand side of the screen, as shown in Figure 1.2.

Figure 1.2: The Drafting and Modeling tabs in the AutoCAD for Mac interface

Now that you have an understanding of the AutoCAD interface, the next section introduces the AutoCAD ribbon and its settings.

The AutoCAD ribbon is a fundamental part of your AutoCAD interface. It provides you with ribbon tabs, each of which is occupied by ribbon panels, which incorporate most of the commands you need to operate AutoCAD effectively.

AutoCAD has four ribbon settings. These can sometimes inadvertently be activated, making you think you have broken AutoCAD somehow. You haven’t, trust me. It takes a lot to break AutoCAD nowadays!

The ribbon settings are activated by clicking on a small button on the top of the ribbon. If you blink, you might miss it, and many AutoCAD users do. It is one of those buttons that gets clicked on, and then you’re not sure how to get things back to what they looked like before.

If you check the top of your AutoCAD ribbon, you will see a small white rectangular button with an arrow on it. Figure 1.3 shows you where you will find it.

Figure 1.3: The ribbon settings button

Based on its size, you can understand why it gets missed easily, right? If you click on the button (not the fly-out arrow to the right of it), you will see the appearance of your ribbon change. Don’t panic. All you have done is change the appearance of the ribbon.

Each of the four settings displays the ribbon differently, giving you varying methods of utilizing the ribbon during your day-to-day AutoCAD work.

I’ll briefly explain how each setting works. The ribbon settings change based on whether you have clicked the ribbon settings button at the top of the ribbon and how many times you have clicked it consecutively:

• The default ribbon (no click required): This ribbon setting is set by default when you first start using AutoCAD. As you can see in Figure 1.4, it provides a view of all the ribbon tabs, panels, and icons.

Figure 1.4: The default ribbon display

• Minimize to Panel Buttons (first click): After the first click of the ribbon settings button, you will set the ribbon to Panel Buttons. The ribbon tabs are still available, but each panel on its respective tab will now only display as a button, as shown in Figure 1.5.

Figure 1.5: The ribbon display using Minimize to Panel Buttons

Upon clicking on any panel button, the selected ribbon panel will display, as shown in Figure 1.6.

Figure 1.6: The Draw panel selected while using Minimize to Panel Buttons

The preceding figure shows the Home tab as current, and the Draw panel after the Draw panel button has been clicked.

As you can see, this ribbon setting reduces the footprint of the ribbon, providing more screen space for your AutoCAD drafting and modeling, by only displaying the panel selected by the panel button. If you move the cursor away from the selected panel, it will revert back to the panel buttons view.

• Minimize to Panel Titles (second click): After the second click of the ribbon settings button, you will set the ribbon to Panel Titles. The panels are now displayed with only their titles, thus reducing the ribbon footprint on your screen even more as seen in Figure 1.7.

Figure 1.7: The ribbon display using Minimize to Panel Titles

Upon clicking on any panel title, the selected ribbon panel will display, as shown in Figure 1.8.

Figure 1.8: The Draw panel selected when using Minimize to Panel Titles

The preceding figure shows the Home tab as current with the Draw panel title selected. As before, when you move the cursor away from the panel, it will revert back to the panel titles view.

• Minimize to Tabs (third click): After the third click of the ribbon settings button, you will set the ribbon to Tabs. There are now no panel buttons or titles displayed, only the ribbon tabs. This is the most minimal view of the ribbon in AutoCAD as you can see in Figure 1.9.

Figure 1.9: The ribbon display using Minimize to Tabs

To access the ribbon panels when using the Minimize to Tabs setting, you will need to select the ribbon tab first, then select the required command icon on its respective panel, as shown in Figure 1.10.

Figure 1.10: The Home tab selected when using Minimize to Tabs

As you can see in the preceding figure, all the panels in the selected tab are displayed. In this case, the Home tab on the ribbon has been selected, displaying the Draw panel, the Modify panel, and all panels that display under the Home tab on the ribbon

Note

Figure 1.10 has been truncated slightly to fit better on the page. Hence, only the Draw and Modify panels are displayed in full.

• Back to default (fourth click): A fourth click on the ribbon settings button will bring you back to the default ribbon setting, as shown in Figure 1.11.

Figure 1.11: Back to the default ribbon setting on the fourth click

So, as you can see, it is easy to click on the ribbon settings button and make these changes in error. If you have never used the ribbon settings button before, it can cause a certain amount of trepidation as you wonder what you have done to your AutoCAD interface. However, by using the sequence of clicks I have described in this section on the ribbon settings button, you can now get back to the default ribbon setting if required.

You can now also see how the ribbon settings can be changed to suit your specific requirements. This allows you to utilize more screen space in AutoCAD by reducing the ribbon footprint. This is especially useful when your screen space is restricted. A typical example would be running AutoCAD on a laptop with a smaller screen.

Until this point, I have not mentioned the small fly-out arrow to the right of the ribbon settings button, as shown in Figure 1.12.

Figure 1.12: The fly-out menu on the ribbon settings button

Upon clicking on the fly-out arrow, you will see the small fly-out menu as shown in the preceding figure. This allows you to select a specific ribbon setting rather than clicking through them on the ribbon settings button, as mentioned earlier.

Once a specific ribbon setting has been selected, it will remain set. You will need to set the menu back to Cycle through All to use the ribbon settings button to cycle through each ribbon setting.

The ribbon settings in AutoCAD are a great way of gaining that little bit more screen real estate when working on smaller displays. As we move toward workstation replacement laptops, this will help. Yes, you can hook up to a gigantic display monitor when in the office, but when you’re traveling and you only have a 15-inch laptop display at your disposal, that ribbon settings button will prove mighty useful!

Tips and tricks #1

You will notice a fly-out arrow on the title bars of some of the ribbon panels. If you click on the fly-out arrow on the panel, the hidden command icons from that panel are displayed. Click on the small pin icon and those hidden command icons will remain pinned open and will display until the pin icon is clicked again. The hidden icons will then revert into the ribbon. Figure 1.13 shows you where you will find the pin icon using the Draw panel on the Home tab of the ribbon.

Figure 1.13: The pin icon that allows the hidden command icons to be pinned open (shown pinned)

Now that you know how you can fix the AutoCAD ribbon settings to suit your workflow without feeling like you have broken AutoCAD, let us move on to learning how we can improve the UI even further using sticky panels.

AutoCAD for Mac

AutoCAD for Mac does not have a ribbon interface like AutoCAD for Windows does, so there is no way of changing the ribbon appearance. AutoCAD for Mac uses an icon menu to the left of the AutoCAD for Mac screen. You can edit the icon settings for each icon panel by clicking on the gearwheel icon. Figure 1.14 shows the Draw panel and its default icon settings. In AutoCAD for Mac, you still click and hold for the fly-out icon menus, much like in AutoCAD for Windows, to get access to more instances of a command, such as the Arc fly-out menu.

Figure 1.14: The icon settings in the Draw panel in AutoCAD for Mac

You now have a good understanding of the AutoCAD ribbon and its settings and functionality. In the next section, you will learn how to use sticky panels (from the ribbon) to your advantage.

In this chapter, the assumption has so far been made that ribbon panels stay in the ribbon. That’s not the case. Ribbon panels can be moved into the AutoCAD drawing area and can float in the same way as dialog boxes and palettes can.

The following figure shows the Draw panel (from the Home tab) floating in the AutoCAD drawing area. This section covers how to get a sticky panel there, as well as how to get it back into the ribbon.

Figure 1.15: The floating Draw panel in the AutoCAD drawing area

To keep things simple, stay in the Home tab on the ribbon.

Move the cursor over the title bar of the Draw panel. Click and drag the Draw panel. You will see the Draw panel start to move and you can simply drop it into the AutoCAD drawing area by releasing the mouse button. Yes, it really is that easy!

This is known as a sticky panel. The description derives from the Post-It sticky notes you might use in the office. You are sticking the ribbon panel where you need it to be so that you can see it and use it more effectively.

The benefit of this is that the sticky panels are then not constrained by the ribbon. You can now go to other ribbon tabs to use other AutoCAD commands but still have quick and easy access to the commands on the sticky panels.

A typical scenario might be that you need the Draw panel so that you can create geometry, but you might be in the Annotate tab working on the annotation in the drawing. Figure 1.16 highlights that scenario.

Figure 1.16: The Draw panel is the sticky panel, while the Annotate ribbon tab is current

Getting the sticky panel back into the ribbon is not as difficult as you might think. Click and drag are not required, and AutoCAD even remembers which ribbon tab you took the sticky panel from.

To get the sticky panel back into the ribbon, you need to hover over the sticky panel in place. You will see the panel highlight and sidebars appear on both the left and right sides of the panel. Figure 1.17 shows the sidebars, as indicated by the arrows.

Figure 1.17: The sticky panel with sidebars indicated

On the left sidebar, you will see a graded or dotted area. You can click and drag this to relocate the sticky panel.

On the right sidebar, there are two small icons. The lower of these two icons will allow you to rotate the sticky panel from horizontal to vertical and vice versa.

You need the top-right icon. If you hover the cursor over it, the tooltip will read Return Panels to Ribbon. You can see this shown in Figure 1.18.

Figure 1.18: The sticky panel with Return Panels to Ribbon indicated

Upon clicking on this icon, the sticky panel will be returned to the ribbon. Regardless of which ribbon tab is current, AutoCAD will put the panel back on the appropriate ribbon tab.

If you are in the Annotate tab and you return your sticky Draw panel to the ribbon, not only will AutoCAD make sure it is placed on the appropriate ribbon tab, but it will even make sure it is back in the correct location on that ribbon tab!

This is done using the AutoCAD CUI settings, which we will touch on later in this chapter.

Tips and tricks #2

AutoCAD now has a feature known as floating drawing windows. This means that any drawing file tab can be dragged and dropped into any display location. This is often used when AutoCAD is used across a dual (or sometimes triple) monitor hardware setup. Sticky panels will remain in place even when the floating drawing is moved to another location. Figure 1.19 gives you an idea of what this might look like.

Figure 1.19: The Draw sticky panel is still in place with the floating drawing window behind it

Sticky panels are a great way of customizing your AutoCAD interface to suit the way you work. They can be located anywhere, especially when you need specific ribbon panels to always be available.

Now that you understand how to utilize sticky panels and put them back into their place, let us divert our attention to learning about the items in the QAT.

The AutoCAD QAT is located in the top-left of your AutoCAD 2024 application window. You may have used it already when working with AutoCAD. Figure 1.20 shows you the default non-customized QAT.

Figure 1.20: The QAT (non-customized)

In this section, we will learn about some useful workflows with the QAT that will help you become just that bit more efficient and productive.

Customizing the QAT

There is a very small but powerful icon on the QAT. For those of us who are over a certain age, it will remind us of the era of Compact Discs (CDs). These were used primarily for music and replaced vinyl albums. They were also used for software installations. AutoCAD used to be installed from CD media too. Music CDs were played on a CD player. The Customize Quick Access Toolbar icon on the QAT looks remarkably like the eject button on those old CD players. Figure 1.21 highlights the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button.

Figure 1.21: The Customize Quick Access Toolbar button

Upon clicking the icon, a drop-down menu will appear, as shown in Figure 1.22.

Figure 1.22: The Customize Quick Access Toolbar dropdown with default settings

You will notice that several of the settings have checkmarks next to them. This indicates that these functions are already displayed on the QAT. The functions without checkmarks can be selected to display on the QAT to improve your day-to-day AutoCAD work. This is the customization that we will focus on.

If the Layer option is selected from the drop-down menu, you will see that the Layer drop-down menu is added to the QAT, as shown in Figure 1.23.

Figure 1.23: The QAT with the Layer drop-down menu added and in use

The major benefit of this customization is that you now have access to all the AutoCAD layer controls all of the time. Regardless of which ribbon tab you use, you can control your layer properties at any time, thus not needing to keep returning to the Home tab on the ribbon to change any specific layer properties. Figure 1.23 also shows the QAT with the Layer drop-down menu added while it is in use. You can now see how easy it is to access your AutoCAD layers.

If you want to turn off the Layer dropdown on the QAT, you will need to repeat the customization process by clicking on the Customize Quick Access Toolbar icon. Then click on Layer on the drop-down menu and the checkmark will be removed. The Layer dropdown will also be removed.

Another useful drop-down menu to add to the QAT is the Workspace function. As mentioned previously, this is another function you can tick in the Customize Quick Access Toolbar dropdown. Figure 1.24 shows the Workspace function added to the QAT and in use.

Figure 1.24: The QAT with the Workspace function added and in use

As you can see, adding functionality to the QAT gives you a customized AutoCAD user interface that will enhance your workflows and provide you with that little bit of extra efficiency every day when using AutoCAD.

Other QAT settings

On the Customize Quick Access Toolbar dropdown for the QAT, you will also see other settings that can be used to customize your AutoCAD interface a little further.

The Show Menu Bar option will display a classic AutoCAD menu bar at the top of the AutoCAD application window, as shown in Figure 1.25.

Figure 1.25: The AutoCAD menu bar in position after being set in the QAT

This classic menu bar provides the older, more traditional AutoCAD drop-down menus from previous versions of AutoCAD. In Figure 1.26, the Draw function is selected, with the Modeling sub-option displayed.

Figure 1.26: The Draw dropdown from the menu bar, with the Modeling sub-option selected

You can utilize this option from the QAT to create a more classic AutoCAD interface, which more seasoned AutoCAD users might opt for, in conjunction with the ribbon settings button mentioned earlier in the chapter.

The Show Menu Bar option can be turned off by clicking on the QAT Customize Quick Access Toolbar icon and selecting Hide Menu Bar. This is shown in Figure 1.27.

Figure 1.27: The Hide Menu Bar option on the Customize Quick Access Toolbar dropdown

Another excellent setting on the Customize Quick Access Toolbar dropdown is the ability to move the QAT above or below the AutoCAD ribbon. This, again, is selected from the Customize Quick Access Toolbar dropdown. The default position of the QAT is above the ribbon, but if you select Show Below the Ribbon, you will position the QAT as shown in Figure 1.28.

Figure 1.28: The QAT positioned below the AutoCAD ribbon

If you go back to the QAT Customize dropdown, you can click on Show Above the Ribbon and the QAT will return to its default location above the ribbon.

While changing the position of the QAT or adding functionality to it may seem like a small, insignificant change to the AutoCAD interface, it’s amazing how many users use those tools to tweak and adjust their AutoCAD interface to suit their daily use. As they say, it’s the small things. And when combined with saving these settings to your own customized AutoCAD workspace, it all starts to make sense. When we look into workspaces in more detail later in the book, you will start to see their advantages and how they can allow you to have a fully customized AutoCAD workspace just for you.

AutoCAD for Mac

AutoCAD for Mac does not have a QAT. It has a simplified toolbar across the top of the AutoCAD for Mac application window, as shown in Figure 1.29. This can be customized by right-clicking on the toolbar and selecting Customize Toolbar.

Figure 1.29: The toolbar in AutoCAD for Mac

Up until now, we have used the AutoCAD interface to customize the AutoCAD interface. There is also an AutoCAD command that allows you to adjust the AutoCAD interface. That command is the Customize User Interface (CUI) command.

The quickest way to start using the CUI command is to type CUI and press Enter. You can type this directly, and it will appear near the cursor (crosshair), or you can type it on the command line at the bottom of the AutoCAD screen.

This will bring up the Customize User Interface dialog box. Figure 1.30 shows the Customize User Interface dialog box with the three default AutoCAD workspaces: Drafting & Annotation Default, 3D Modeling, and 3D Basics. These are found in the Customize tab in the dialog box.

Figure 1.30: The Customize User Interface dialog box with the default AutoCAD workspaces indicated in the Customize tab

If you make the dialog box bigger by dragging a corner or side of the dialog box, you can start to investigate how to customize your AutoCAD user interface.

Tips and tricks #3

Before committing to any changes in the Customize User Interface dialog box, it is always beneficial to duplicate the workspace you want to work with. This is to avoid any errors you might make that would affect one of your default workspaces beyond the point of no return! Simply right-click over the specific workspace in the dialog box and select Duplicate from the shortcut menu. It will save you from a whole world of pain later when you realize that you have changed a default workspace beyond all recognition!

If you select a workspace in the top-left pane of the dialog box (noting Tips and tricks #3), you can then select that workspace and start to see its structure and how it is made up of its component parts, ribbon tabs, panels, and commands.

In Figure 1.31, you can see that Drafting & Annotation is selected, with the ribbon/panel contents expanded. You can see all of the individual panels listed.

Figure 1.31: The Ribbon | Panels contents expanded in the CUI dialog box

Using the slider bar, you can slide down the list to find the Home 2D: Draw ribbon panel. If you expand this content and expand Row 1, you can see the Line, Polyline, Circle, and Arc commands there.

Expand the Circle command. You will then see all the different command options you would otherwise see when you click on the Circle fly-out arrow in the ribbon when drafting in AutoCAD. This is highlighted in Figure 1.32.

Figure 1.32: The different Circle command options displayed in the Customize User Interface dialog box

If the Center, Radius option is selected in the dialog box, all the settings for that command option will be displayed in the right-hand pane of the dialog box, allowing for command customization.

The right-hand pane also displays a panel preview so that you can check its display on the ribbon. The macro coding for that command is also shown. Look at Figure 1.33 to see how this looks in the dialog box.

Figure 1.33: The Customize User Interface dialog box with the Circle | Center, Radius command selected

The CUI command can edit or duplicate existing workspaces down to the command macro level. This means that programming in (full) AutoCAD can be applied to create new commands that might occupy new panels and tabs on the AutoCAD ribbon.

There are numerous methods to use the CUI command to dive deeper into customizing the AutoCAD interface. They are not covered in this book, but the internet is full of many resources and communities (including the Autodesk Community) where you can investigate this and discuss it with your fellow peers. Autodesk provides some great internet locations for you to talk to your fellow AutoCAD users. You will need to use your Autodesk Account to sign into any of the Autodesk communities below: -

• Autodesk Forums, located here: https://forums.autodesk.com
• Autodesk Knowledge Network (AKN), located here: https://knowledge.autodesk.com
• Autodesk Community Tips: AutoCAD Products: located in the AutoCAD forum
• Autodesk Community Voices blog: located in the preceding Autodesk Forums link

AutoCAD for Mac

The CUI command is also applicable in AutoCAD for Mac, but the interface and dialog boxes are different. Figure 1.34 shows the Customize dialog in AutoCAD for Mac after the CUI command has been started. You will need to click on the tabs at the top of the dialog to access the necessary areas of the CUI command.

Figure 1.34: The Customize dialog box in AutoCAD for Mac

In the previous section, you learned how to customize the AutoCAD user interface, using the CUI command and the Customize User Interface dialog box. The next section summarizes what you have learned in this chapter.

In this chapter, you learned about changing and managing AutoCAD ribbon settings and set up sticky panels. We also looked at how to use the QAT effectively and how to work with AutoCAD CUI command and the Customize User Interface dialog box.

All of these workflows and concepts are important to allow you, as an AutoCAD user, to enhance and customize the AutoCAD interface to suit your preferences and ideal working environment. In the next chapter, we will talk about how to develop and customize your own workspace in AutoCAD.

Open a blank drawing in AutoCAD and follow along to explore the user interface customization options shown across all the sections in this chapter. This applies to AutoCAD for Windows and AutoCAD for Mac.

From Chapter 2 onward, I will be sharing exercise files so you can follow along and learn hands-on with AutoCAD.