Guide Getting started with Cadlite
Everything you need for a first drawing: how to open one, how the command line works, and every alias and shortcut the editor ships with.
Your first drawing
- 01
Create an account
Sign up with your e-mail address and open the activation link we send. The account is free.
- 02
Open or start a drawing
The projects screen lists your drawings. Start a new one, or open a DXF, DWG or Cadlite JSON file from your computer.
- 03
Find your way around
Pan with the middle mouse button, zoom about the cursor with the wheel, and type ZE or press Ctrl+0 to see the whole drawing.
- 04
Save and hand over
Ctrl+S saves the project to your account, and autosave keeps a copy as you go. Export to DXF, PDF or PNG when it is time to send it.
The command line
If you have used desktop CAD, you already know how this works.
Type a command's name or its alias and press Enter - L then Enter starts LINE. The command then asks for what it needs, one prompt at a time: a point can be clicked, snapped or typed as coordinates.
Press Enter on an empty command line to repeat the last command, and Esc to cancel the one that is running. Tab cycles through the autocomplete suggestions.
The aliases are yours to change in Options, the way a PGP file is in desktop CAD. The table below is what every account starts with.
Command aliases
The 58 aliases a new account starts with, by command.
| Command | Alias |
|---|---|
ALIGN | AL |
ARC | A |
AREA | AA |
ARRAY | AR |
BLOCK | B |
BREAK | BR |
CHAMFER | CHA |
CIRCLE | C |
COPY | COCP |
DIMALIGNED | DAL |
DIMANGULAR | DAN |
DIMDIAMETER | DDI |
DIMLINEAR | DLI |
DIMRADIUS | DRA |
DIMSTYLE | D |
DIST | DI |
DONUT | DO |
DSETTINGS | SE |
ELLIPSE | EL |
ERASE | E |
EXPLODE | X |
EXTEND | EX |
FILLET | F |
HATCH | H |
INSERT | I |
JOIN | J |
LAYER | LA |
LENGTHEN | LEN |
LINE | L |
LIST | LI |
MATCHPROP | MA |
MIRROR | MI |
MLEDIT | MLED |
MLINE | ML |
MLSTYLE | MLS |
MOVE | M |
MTEXT | T |
OFFSET | O |
OPTIONS | OP |
OSNAP | OS |
PAN | P |
PLINE | PL |
POINT | PO |
POLYGON | POL |
PROPERTIES | PR |
PURGE | PU |
RECTANG | REC |
REGEN | RE |
ROTATE | RO |
SCALE | SC |
SPLINE | SPL |
STRETCH | S |
TEXT | DT |
TRIM | TR |
UNITS | UN |
ZOOM | Z |
ZOOMEXTENTS | ZE |
Keyboard shortcuts
Function keys and Ctrl shortcuts. Most are rebindable in Options; the ones that open a file dialog or move focus are not.
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| F1 | Help |
| F3 | Object snap on or off |
| F7 | Grid on or off |
| F8 | Ortho on or off |
| F9 | Snap on or off |
| F10 | Polar tracking on or off |
| F11 | Object snap tracking on or off |
| F12 | Dynamic input on or off |
| Ctrl+Z | Undo the last step |
| Ctrl+Shift+Z | Redo |
| Ctrl+Y | Redo |
| Ctrl+A | Select everything |
| Ctrl+C | Copy objects |
| Ctrl+X | Cut objects |
| Ctrl+V | Paste objects |
| Ctrl+0 | Zoom to the whole drawing |
| Ctrl+1 | Properties panel |
| Ctrl+9 | Options |
| Ctrl+S | Save drawing |
| Ctrl+O | Open drawing |
| Ctrl+N | New drawing |
| Ctrl+P | Plot (print, PDF or image) |
| Ctrl+B | Toggle side panel |
| Ctrl+Shift+B | Toggle tool palette |
| Escape | Cancel the current command |
| Enter | Confirm / repeat the last command |
| Tab | Cycle autocomplete |
Open your next drawing in a tab.
No download and no card. Drafting is free for as long as you use it.