Have You Tried: Using the UCS for 2D Drafting

Learning
Have You Tried

Have you ever wondered what that thing is in the lower-left corner of the drawing area? Or maybe you know it’s the UCS (User Coordinate System) icon but because you don’t create 3D models, then you don’t think it’s useful. The UCS icon can be just as useful for 2D drafting as it can be for 3D modeling.

The UCS is an essential tool for many precision 2D operations including the following:

  • Origin and orientation of the X and Y axes for coordinate entry
  • Horizontal and vertical directions used for Ortho mode and polar tracking
  • Alignment and angle of the grid, hatch patterns, text, and dimensions

Learn more about how to use the UCS to align new drawing objects with existing objects in a drawing by following the step-by-step examples in the HaveYouTried: UsingtheUCSfor2DDrafting topic.

UCS AutoCAD

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Lee Ambrosius

Lee Ambrosius is a Principal Learning Content Developer at Autodesk, Inc., for the AutoCAD software and AutoCAD LT software products. He works primarily on the CAD administration, customization, and developer documentation. Lee has also worked on the user documentation for AutoCAD on Windows and Mac. He has presented on a wide range of topics at Autodesk University over the past 10 years, from general AutoCAD customization to ObjectARX technology. Lee has authored a number of AutoCAD-related books, with his most recent projects being AutoCAD Platform Customization: User Interface, AutoLISP, VBA, and Beyond and AutoCAD 2015 and AutoCAD LT 2015 Bible. When he’s not writing, you can find him roaming various community forums, posting articles on his blog, or tweeting AutoCAD-related information.

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