AutoCAD ACU Cheat Sheet

Draw and Modify Objects

Not published of exam
Basic Draw Commands Isometric Drafting Layers Blocks Selection Methods

Draw with Accuracy

Not published of exam
Object Snaps Osnap Markers Coordinate Entry Dynamic Input

Basic Editing

Not published of exam
Move Copy Rotate Trim Extend Lengthen Arrays Fillet Chamfer Property Tools

Annotation

Not published of exam
Text Tools Multileaders Dimension Commands Hatch and Fill

Layouts and Printing

Not published of exam
Layouts and Viewports Plot and Publish Viewport Scale Title Blocks

Quick Facts

Exam AutoCAD ACU
Credential Autodesk Certified User
Time 50 min
Questions 30-35
Pass 700 of 1000
Domains 5
Weights Not published
Level Entry-level
Retake 1 day, then 5
Validity 5 yrs after 2025

Isoplane Axis Angles DR

Top 30/150, Right 30/90, Left 90/150 degrees
F5 or Ctrl+E cycles Isocircle needs isometric snap Ortho follows isoplane axes

Window vs Crossing Selection DR

Window

Drag left to right
Selects only fully inside

Crossing

Drag right to left
Selects touching objects too
Inside only vs touching

Draw Tool Picker DR

Need one multi-edit shape → PLINE ( Single object )
Need independent segments → LINE ( Separate objects )
Need a one-way reference → RAY ( Alignment aid )
Need a two-way reference → XLINE ( Construction line )
Drawing an isometric face → ISODRAFT ( Pick isoplane first )
Need an N-sided shape → POLYGON ( Enter side count )

Basic Draw Commands DR

LINE Independent straight segments L
CIRCLE Radius or diameter defined C
ARC One curved segment A
RECTANG Rectangle from two corners REC
POLYGON N-sided regular shape POL
ELLIPSE Oval from axis endpoints EL
RAY One-direction infinite line
XLINE Two-direction infinite line XL

Layer State Behavior DR

Freeze skips regen; Lock blocks edits; Off just hides
Freeze: fastest for regen Lock: visible, no edits Off: still regenerates

Freeze vs Lock DR

Freeze

Hides the layer
Skips it during regen

Lock

Stays visible
Blocks editing its objects
Hidden vs protected

Polylines DR

PLINE Connected line and arc object PL
PEDIT Edits an existing polyline PE
Join option Adds a segment into polyline
Width option Sets tapered or uniform width

Isometric Drafting DR

ISODRAFT Turns isometric drafting on
F5 or Ctrl+E Cycles the active isoplane
Top isoplane 30-degree and 150-degree axes
Right isoplane 30-degree and 90-degree axes
Left isoplane 90-degree and 150-degree axes
Isocircle option ELLIPSE's isometric circle tool

Layers DR

LAYER Opens Layer Properties Manager LA
Freeze / Thaw Hides and skips regeneration
Lock / Unlock Blocks edits, stays visible
On / Off Hides, still regenerates
Layer 0 Default, cannot be deleted
Current layer New objects draw onto it
LAYWALK Previews objects by layer

Blocks DR

BLOCK Defines a named block B
INSERT Places a block reference I
EXPLODE Breaks a block apart X
Base point Block's insertion handle
Block on Layer 0 Inherits the insert layer
DesignCenter Drags blocks between drawings ADC

Osnap Marker Shapes AC

Square end, triangle mid, circle center, diamond quadrant
X: Intersection Right angle: Perpendicular Circle+dash: Tangent

Relative vs Polar Coordinates AC

Relative

@x,y from last point
Needs both axis values

Polar

@distance<angle from last point
Needs length and direction
XY offset vs angle

Object Snap Picker AC

Land on a segment end → Endpoint ( Square marker )
Land on segment middle → Midpoint ( Triangle marker )
Land on a curve center → Center ( Circle marker )
Align beyond an edge → Extension ( No click needed )
Match a reference angle → Parallel ( Hover it first )
Need midpoint of two picks → M2P ( Shift+right-click menu )

Object Snaps AC

Endpoint Closest segment end
Midpoint Segment's exact middle
Center Circle or arc middle
Quadrant 0/90/180/270-degree point
Intersection Where two objects cross
Perpendicular 90 degrees to reference
Tangent Touches a curve once
Nearest Closest point on object

Coordinate Entry Forms AC

Absolute x,y; relative @x,y; polar @dist<angle
x,y = from origin @x,y = from last point @dist<angle = length + direction

More Object Snaps AC

Extension Along an object's projected path
Parallel Matches a hovered reference angle
Geometric Center Closed-shape centroid point
Insertion Block, text, or attribute anchor
Node Snaps to a point object

Osnap Markers AC

Endpoint marker Square
Midpoint marker Triangle
Center marker Circle
Quadrant marker Diamond
Intersection marker X shape
Perpendicular marker Right-angle corner
Tangent marker Circle with tangent dash

Coordinate and Precision Input AC

Absolute coordinates x,y measured from origin
Relative coordinates @x,y from last point
Polar coordinates @distance<angle from last point
Dynamic input Editable tooltip near cursor
Direct distance entry Move cursor, type length
M2P Midpoint between two picks
Object snap tracking Alignment paths from osnaps

Sharp Corner Trick ED

Fillet radius 0 equals a square corner
FILLETRAD default is 0 Chamfer 0,0 is sharp too Trim is another option

TRIM vs EXTEND ED

TRIM

Cuts to a boundary
Removes the excess part

EXTEND

Lengthens to a boundary
Adds up to the edge
Shorten vs lengthen

Modify Tool Picker ED

Cut back to an edge → TRIM ( Quick mode default )
Stretch out to a boundary → EXTEND ( Quick mode default )
Change length by a value → LENGTHEN ( No edge needed )
Move only inside vertices → STRETCH ( Crossing selection )
Resize the whole object → SCALE ( Uniform factor )
Need a parallel duplicate → OFFSET ( Set the distance )

Property Tools ED

Properties palette Lists every property Ctrl+1
Quick Properties Pop-up common properties
MATCHPROP Copies props to targets MA
ByLayer Inherits the layer's settings
Settings option Chooses which props to match

LENGTHEN vs STRETCH ED

LENGTHEN

Changes length by value
No boundary edge needed

STRETCH

Moves crossing vertices only
Needs a crossing selection
Value vs selection

Move Copy Transform Tools ED

MOVE Relocates, no duplicate left M
COPY Duplicates, keeps the original CO
ROTATE Turns around a base point RO
MIRROR Reflects across a line MI
SCALE Resizes uniformly by factor SC
STRETCH Moves only crossing vertices S

MOVE vs COPY ED

MOVE

Relocates the object
Nothing left behind

COPY

Duplicates the object
Original stays in place
Relocate vs duplicate

Trim Extend Lengthen Offset ED

TRIM Cuts back to an edge TR
EXTEND Lengthens out to a boundary EX
LENGTHEN Changes length by a value LEN
Quick mode Every object is an edge
Standard mode Pick edges before trimming
OFFSET Parallel copy at a distance O

ROTATE vs MIRROR ED

ROTATE

Turns around a point
Keeps the same shape

MIRROR

Reflects across a line
Can erase the source
Turn vs reflect

Arrays Fillet and Chamfer ED

Rectangular array Rows, columns, and levels
Polar array Items around a center point
FILLET Rounded-arc corner join F
FILLET radius 0 Trims to a square corner
CHAMFER Straight angled corner join CHA
Grip stretch Default mode for a grip

FILLET vs CHAMFER ED

FILLET

Rounded arc corner
Radius 0 makes it square

CHAMFER

Straight angled corner
Set by distances or angle
Round vs angled

COPY vs OFFSET ED

COPY

Duplicates exact geometry
Any pick point works

OFFSET

Builds a parallel copy
Needs a set distance
Exact vs parallel

Rectangular vs Polar Array ED

Rectangular

Rows and columns grid
Set spacing values

Polar

Items around a center
Set count and angle
Grid vs radial

Dimension Chain Commands AN

Continue chains from last; baseline stacks from first
DIMCONTINUE: next extension line DIMBASELINE: first extension line DIMSCALE default: 1

TEXT vs MTEXT AN

TEXT

Single line per object
Each line stands alone

MTEXT

One wrapped paragraph
In-place editor opens
Line vs paragraph

Annotation Tool Picker AN

Label one line of text → TEXT ( DT alias )
Need a wrapped paragraph → MTEXT ( MT alias )
Point at one feature → MLEADER ( Arrow plus content )
Chain measurements in a row → DIMCONTINUE ( From last extension )
Stack from one origin → DIMBASELINE ( From first extension )
Fill a closed boundary → HATCH ( Pick Points or Select )

Text Tools AN

TEXT / DTEXT Single-line, own object each DT
MTEXT One wrapped paragraph object MT
Text style Stores font and default height
Height 0 style Prompts for height every time
Justification Text's anchor point setting
Wrapping width MTEXT paragraph boundary

DIMLINEAR vs DIMALIGNED AN

DIMLINEAR

Horizontal or vertical only
Ignores the object angle

DIMALIGNED

True straight-line distance
Follows the object angle
Axis vs true length

Leaders and Multileaders AN

MLEADER Bundles arrow, landing, and content
Content types Mtext, Block, or None
MLEADERALIGN Rows landings evenly
MLEADERCOLLECT Merges block leaders onto one landing
MLEADERSTYLE Format, Structure, Content tabs

Dimension Commands AN

DIMLINEAR Horizontal or vertical distance DLI
DIMALIGNED True length, even if angled DAL
DIMRADIUS Labeled with an R prefix DRA
DIMDIAMETER Labeled with diameter symbol DDI
DIMANGULAR Angle between two lines DAN
DIMCONTINUE Chains from last extension line DCO
DIMBASELINE Stacks from one origin line DBA
DIMSCALE Overall scale, default is 1

Hatch and Fill Patterns AN

HATCH Fills a closed boundary H
Pick Points Clicks inside the boundary
Select Objects Clicks the boundary objects
Match Properties Copies pattern to new hatch
Angle and scale Rotates and resizes the pattern

Plot to Scale Reminder LA

1:1 plots true size; Fit to Paper only fills
1:1 = measurable size Fit to Paper = convenience Standard Scale sets the ratio

Model Space vs Paper Space LA

Model space

Full real-world scale
Where geometry is drawn

Paper space

Layout sheet for output
Holds scaled viewports
Drawing vs sheet

Layout and Plot Picker LA

Draw at real-world size → Model space ( Full scale )
Compose a sheet to print → Layout tab ( Paper space )
Add or resize a viewport → MVIEW ( On a layout )
Make geometry plot to scale → Standard Scale ( Viewport property )
Send one sheet to output → PLOT ( Current layout )
Send many sheets at once → PUBLISH ( Uses page setups )

Layouts and Viewports LA

Model tab Full-scale drawing geometry
Layout tab Paper space output sheet
MVIEW Creates or edits viewports
Standard Scale Sets the plot-to-scale ratio
Display Locked Locks a viewport's zoom scale
Title block Sheet border and project info

PLOT vs PUBLISH LA

PLOT

One layout at a time
Opens the plot dialog

PUBLISH

Many layouts in one batch
Uses saved page setups
Single vs batch output

Plot and Publish LA

PLOT Outputs the current sheet
PUBLISH Batches many layouts at once
PAGESETUP Opens Page Setup Manager
Named page setup Reusable saved plot settings
Fit to Paper Scales to fill the sheet
1:1 plot scale True, measurable paper size

Common Traps

Off vs Freeze

Off hides, still regenerates ≠ Freeze hides, skips regen

Endpoint vs Nearest

Endpoint snaps to vertices ≠ Nearest snaps to any point

Halfwidth vs Width

Halfwidth measures center to edge ≠ Width measures edge to edge

Quick vs Standard Trim Mode

Quick treats all as edges ≠ Standard needs edges picked first

DIST vs a Dimension

DIST only measures, no object ≠ Dimension measures and annotates

PLINE Close Option

Close option sets Closed to Yes ≠ Manual snap-back leaves Closed No

DIMRADIUS vs DIMDIAMETER

Radius label starts with R ≠ Diameter label uses ⌀ symbol

Layout Display Lock

Locked pans without scale change ≠ Unlocked zoom changes plot scale

Last Minute

1. 30-35 questions in 50 minutes
2. Pass = 700 of 1000
3. Five domains = no published weights
4. TRIM/EXTEND default = Quick mode
5. Fillet radius 0 = square corner
6. DIMSCALE default = 1
7. F5 cycles Top/Right/Left isoplane
8. Window = inside objects only
9. Crossing = inside or touching
10. Freeze skips regen; Off does not
11. Layout tab = paper space
12. PLOT = one sheet; PUBLISH = many
13. Retake wait = 1 then 5 days
14. Certified 5 years after June 2025

Autodesk Certified User (ACU): AutoCAD

Practice Questions 118 questions Study Guide 31 topics Cheat Sheet 117 facts Flashcards 50 cards Free CE Podcast

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