topic Re: How do i draw an accurate line to a specific bearing in base AutoCAD? in AutoCAD Forum

How do i draw an accurate line to a specific bearing in base AutoCAD?

thelinb — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 18:41:49 GMT

I recently downgraded from Civil 3D to regular AutoCad because I was under the impression I did not ever use any of the Civil 3d features. Now I am discovering that Regular AutoCAD does not apparently allow lines to be drawn to specific bearings? Only by clicking on the screen? I read several threads on this bulliten board and they seem to be imply there is a way to draw a line or polyline in regular base AutoCAD that is to a specific bearing, not just a child's random clicks on a screen! This is supposed to be precise software! Can anyone explain what the commands are? For example if i want to make a line or a polyline i type LINE or PLINE... then what? what do i type next? I do not want to see screenshots of nonsense or hear "its easy". If you know the written commands in english letters, please assist.
In Civil 3d the procedure was to click in the ribbon on line and then there were two dozen options as to how you wanted to draw the line. Typing LINE also offered some sub command options. In the Regular Base AutoCAD i just downgraded to it appears that LINE both in the ribbon and in the command prompt field has been neutered down to just click here and click there like a child on a mobile device.....

Thank you,

Betreff: How do i draw an accurate line to a specific bearing in base AutoCAD?

cadffm — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 19:42:57 GMT

Hi,

C3D features are on top of 100% AutoCAD based product,

but you don't know the basics of coordinate/point input?

Can't imagine this.

Please share a screenshot of the whole Acad program window.

LINE command asking for two points/coordinates,

as always you can enter the coordinate by mouse or by keyboard - or a mix of them.

Are you using Dynamic Input method, or the classic one (your DYNMODE is set to)?

LINE<enter>

*10,5<enter>

@90,0<enter>

<enter>

Straight line to the right, 90 units long

Or LINE, click somewhere, turn ortho on[F8],

move cursor to the right of the first point and enter

90<enter>

<enter>

[F1] how to enter coordinates/points

all RELATED links below

https://help.autodesk.com/view/ACD/2024/ENU/?guid=GUID-0A0135DB-3216-482B-81DD-74E6DB8CA3E3

Re: How do i draw an accurate line to a specific bearing in base AutoCAD?

thelinb — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 14:00:29 GMT

Sebastian,

You are wrong.

And also, please do not be confrontational and arrogant with me.

I simply asked a question about the differences between these two versions of the software which is essential to my ability to keep working.

In Civil3d I would enter the line command and "by bearing" was an option. Then I could put in the bearing in the format 00.00.00 which was the bearing except converted to a 360 degree format from normal surveyor format of Nxx.xx.xxE.
I recently downgraded to regular base AutoCad and line by bearing is no longer an option.
Another user provided me with the instructions to enter LINE > then pick a start point > then type the @ symbol followed by the length of the line > then enter the bearing (in surveyor format). However, as anyone who has ever used AutoCAD knows, "@" is never part of an Autocad command so Im not sure if that was instructions for some other version of autocad or what, but it does not work. Typing "@" results in "invalid or unrecognized command".

Likewise, if i reverse the order of those commands, as you totally incorrectly suggested I should above, typing LINE > then the distance of the line > then an "@" symbol before a bearing or any random placeholder number, it says unrecognized command.
Does anyone else have a theory?
Thanks,

Andrew

@thelinb - this post has been edited due to Community Rules & Etiquette violation.

Re: How do i draw an accurate line to a specific bearing in base AutoCAD?

cadffm — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 14:02:11 GMT

Hi,

first of all: " please do not be confrontational and arrogant with me"

I am not. As I wrote: I CAN NOT imagine that this (that you don't know how to enter coordinates to draw accurate lines).

English isn't my native ~~english~~ language, sorry if it sounds arrogant.

>>"I simply asked a question about the differences between these two versions of the software which is essential to my ability to keep working. "

All of the Autocad part is 100% the same! It is identically, incl. the way how to draw LINE objects.

>"In Civil3d I would enter the line command and "by bearing" was an option."

Yes, this command is part of C3D, not in plain AutoCAD.

>"Then I could put in the bearing in the format 00.00.00 which was the bearing except converted to a 360 degree format from normal surveyor format of Nxx.xx.xxE. "

I never searched for it, but I am sure you will find a tool to do it the same way.

Or use the plain Autocad method to input the point by angle and dist:

https://help.autodesk.com/view/ACD/2024/ENU/?guid=GUID-58C1D97C-A9B3-4C3C-AC1B-95BE3DF2EDB9

Perhaps, dynamic input is better for you (dynmode),

>"Typing "@" results in "invalid or unrecognized command".

@isnever command, right. @ can be the last point, or for coordinates @100,50

what means RELATIVE coordinates.

>"Likewise, if i reverse the order of those commands, as you totally incorrectly suggested

hey, you really misinterpreted my answer 😞

@cadffm - moderation edited out quoted material.

Re: How do i draw an accurate line to a specific bearing in base AutoCAD?

Pointdump — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 22:34:49 GMT

Andrew,
>>>How to create lines defined by bearing and distance in AutoCAD Products<<<
Dave

Re: How do i draw an accurate line to a specific bearing in base AutoCAD?

thelinb — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 23:08:31 GMT

WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?

Re: How do i draw an accurate line to a specific bearing in base AutoCAD?

Kent1Cooper — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 23:44:09 GMT

@thelinb wrote:

.... > then type the @ symbol followed by the length of the line > then enter the bearing (in surveyor format). However, as anyone who has ever used AutoCAD knows, "@" is never part of an Autocad command so Im not sure if that was instructions for some other version of autocad or what, but it does not work. Typing "@" results in "invalid or unrecognized command".

....

Are you by any chance including a space after the @, or any space(s) within the input string for the next point? No spaces are allowed -- they will make it think you're done before you get all the information in, and what is there so far won't be valid input without the rest.

Re: How do i draw an accurate line to a specific bearing in base AutoCAD?

pendean — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 19:27:21 GMT

If you find the following instructions challenging to follow @thelinb please share your DWG file here, you might have something else going on that may need to be corrected as well

https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-create-lines-defined-by-bearing-and-distance-in-AutoCAD-Products.html

Just an FYI: C3D is indeed way more advanced and has tools not present in plain AutoCAD: you did seriously downgrade significantly if you still have to do "civil" type work.

Re: How do i draw an accurate line to a specific bearing in base AutoCAD?

thelinb — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 21:02:37 GMT

No. I no longer do any Civil design work. Used to make alignments and sewer profiles and TIN profiles although none of us here ever figured out how to do any of them properly even after at least 15 years of messing with them full time because we are all 100% self taught and all have our own quirky ways of making this clunky junky autocad generate a paper drawing that looks close to what we envisioned.

Before using civil3d, I used base cad full time for a variety of companies since the lat 90's. Yesterday was the first time I ever heard of a CAD command functioning with @ and TAB. Never heard of that before and I dont like it. Id rather go back to Civil3d and pay the upcharge just for the convenience of drawing a line in less than 45 minutes....

Pretty disappointed in AutoDesk for not simply helping me upgrade from base to civil and collecting the money. That's all I wanted but they kept trying to force me back into this BS. I am old. There is a 0% chance I can ever incorporate the new @, tab and a new meets and bounds format so I will stop using them entirely I guess and just draw at my own orientation and completely ignore the UCS like everyone else I ever worked with. I used to be super sophisticated because I was the only person I ever worked with who was once smart enough to figure out how to draw a line to a bearing. such is life.

@thelinb - this post has been edited due to Community Rules & Etiquette violation.

Re: How do i draw an accurate line to a specific bearing in base AutoCAD?

J-Porter — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 14:43:52 GMT

Civil 3D aside. You and the rest of us already know this is a simple task in Civil 3D. However, we are here talking about AutoCAD. I used to have to do this years ago in simple AutoCAD. It's tedious (compared to Civil 3D), but it's possible. Simply start the line or polyline command, pick your starting point, and then at the command line use the sequence of:

@(distance)<(bearing)

Below I show an example of a 100' line I drew that was at a bearing of north 45 degrees, 45 minutes, 45 seconds east:

Hope this helps!

Re: How do i draw an accurate line to a specific bearing in base AutoCAD?

autoid374ceb4990 — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 14:55:44 GMT

thelinb:

Quote from your previous post:

"Then I could put in the bearing in the format 00.00.00 which was the bearing except converted to a 360 degree format from normal surveyor format of Nxx.xx.xxE. "

Actually that format (at least anywhere I ever did surveying- NC, ME, NH, UT, TX, RVN) was known as an "Azimuth", an angle turned to the right with a zero reference of true north, grid north, magnetic north, or some other north, also with reference from due south in some locations. The Nxx.xx.xxE format is a Bearing.

Re: How do i draw an accurate line to a specific bearing in base AutoCAD?

cadffm — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 16:06:01 GMT

Hi,

Coordinate/Point input with @ is 4 decades old,

[TAB] is NEW, started in 2006, used for dynamic input method ONLY

(Dynmode is default since 2006, but you can disable it by [F12].

That's for all Autocad based products, incl. C3D.

Post a small sample (say 8-10 points)

1. As list of points or better, list of input what you would use in C3D

2. A .DWG file with the ready drawn lines or plines.

I am pretty sure you get the help you need for a good workflow.

Come on

Re: How do i draw an accurate line to a specific bearing in base AutoCAD?

RSomppi — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 16:46:55 GMT

@thelinb wrote:
Pretty disappointed in AutoDesk for not simply helping me upgrade from base to civil and collecting the **** money. That's all I wanted but they kept trying to force me back into this BS.

You don't need AutoDesk to do that for you. You can do it for yourself. Problem solved.

Re: How do i draw an accurate line to a specific bearing in base AutoCAD?

pendean — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 19:34:43 GMT

@thelinb wrote:
... since the lat 90's. Yesterday was the first time I ever heard of a CAD command functioning with @ and TAB. Never heard of that before ...

You are mis-remembering, sorry, we old timers tend to do that 🙂

It's always been like that in plain-Jane AutoCAD for the most part unless you are only half-remembering this DDE method:

https://help.autodesk.com/view/ACD/2026/ENU/?guid=GUID-BF4A06D8-2D66-427D-9460-B62A479B22B4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaXTctgyYEQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Tp305xF4Ro