Howdy! So, I’ve officially decided to turn The Botanical Texan into the ultimate resource for landscape architecture students, professionals, and anyone interested in the field. One essential skill for landscape architects is mastering AutoCAD—it’s the go-to tool of the trade.

As a landscape architect, I spend about 80% of my life (okay, my workday) glued to AutoCAD. It’s my best friend and my worst enemy, but we get along because we have to. Fortunately for me, I had some legendary CAD teachers during my internships, but I know not everyone’s that lucky. That’s why I’m sharing these AutoCAD tips, especially for students who just got their first “exciting” construction assignment and are staring blankly at the screen while your professor throws around words like “viewport.” And you’re sitting there like, “Wait, what’s a viewport?” (Just me in 2016? No? Good! We’re in this together now.)

This post is an overview of some life-saving AutoCAD tips and best practices that’ll make drafting a little less intimidating. Of course, every firm has its own CAD standards, because why make things simple, right? So, make sure you get familiar with those. If you’re reading this before your internship, here’s a pro tip: email your soon-to-be boss and ask for a copy of the CAD standards ahead of time. Trust me, they’ll think you’re a genius (and if nothing else, you’ll at least look like one).

Sheet Set Up

So to kick off this AutoCAD 101 for landscape architects I want to start with sharing some best practices for setting up you sheet. Now most of this will be done in what is known as your “paper space”. When you open up AutoCAD, you’ll see a bar at the bottom of the window that has “model” “+” and then “Layout1”. Layout1 will be your paper space, and where you will want to begin to set up your sheet.

Standard page sizes & layouts

Ok, so now that you’re in your paper space, the first thing you will want to do is set up your page size. In landscape architecture most of the time you will be setting your sheet up to 36″ x 24″, which is also known as an architectural D-size print. There is a lot of reasons why this size is so practical, one reason is it’s easy to print at half size, or on a tabloid (11″x17″) standard printer.

To set your sheet to this size, you will right click on the “layout1” tab, then select “edit page set-up”. A menu dialog box will appear. A few key items on this include:

• Printer: As a general rule, you’ll want this setting to be Autocad PDF (high quality print).pc3. This means when you plot (or print) it will create a PDF, which makes things smooth.
• Paper Size: “ARCH full bleed D”(36 “x 24”). You can certainly change this if you’re needing a different size, but I would recommend for a standard setting to keep it at this
• What to Print: This box offers three options: “display,” “window,” and “layout.” I recommend choosing “layout,” as it sets the plotting parameters specifically to what’s on your sheet. In my five years of experience, I’ve never used “display,” and I only use “window” when I need a quick print for a markup, but never for actual sheet setup.
• Scale: I would always keep this set to 1:1. As we’ll discuss later, everything should be drawn in model space, not paper space. The scale is set within the viewport, so the sheet scale should always remain at 1:1.
• Plot Style: Typically, your company will have a designated plot style, and you’ll want to ensure it’s selected in this setting. This setting assigns specific line weights to the colors you use when drawing. For example, at my company, magenta represents the heaviest line weight. We’ll cover this in more detail later when we discuss plan readability.

After you have the page settings set up, hit ok and you’ll see your sheet got larger! Now you’re ready for the next step.

Inserting a titleblock

This section may vary between companies, but as a general rule and best practice, you should Xref your title block into paper space. Your company or school should have a title block that’s pre-set and ready to use. However, I remember at my school, the title block provided to us was drawn in paper space, which I consider a big mistake. In my opinion, the only elements that should be in paper space, rather than model space, are sheet-specific items like a city code table or a plant schedule.

The reason it’s better to have the title block in model space is that if you need to update something, like the date, and it’s Xrefed into the paper space, it will automatically update across all sheets. This is much more efficient! I know I’m jumping ahead, but if your school provides a title block in paper space, be aware that it’s not best practice.

Now to explain a little bit about Xrefs: An Xref, short for external reference, is a way to link another file into your drawing without copying it in directly. It’s super helpful when working with others or with multiple base files, because changes made to the original file will automatically show up in your drawing. For example, if you Xref a title block or site plan, any updates to the original will instantly apply across all the drawings that use it. This saves time and keeps everything consistent, so you don’t have to go back and update each sheet by hand. It also helps keep your files smaller and easier to manage.

So With this knowledge, this is the following steps you’ll want to do to insert your titleblock:

• Set up your paper space: Ensure you’re in your newly created paper space layout.
• Create or select a layer for Xrefs: Make sure you’re on a designated layer for Xrefs. My company uses a layer called “LA_XREF.” If your company doesn’t have one, I recommend creating it for easier layer management.
• Open the Reference Manager: In the third tab on your side bar, click on the first symbol to open the Reference Manager.
• Select your file: You’ll be prompted to select a file from your computer. Locate your company’s or school’s title block file and press “OK.”
• Adjust the settings in the dialog box:
  • Reference Type: You’ll have two options here, “Attachment” and “Overlay”. Attachment means if you reference this file into another file, the xref your currently attaching will follow it (this is more useful and important when it comes to setting up base files which we will get to soon!) Overlay means that this file will only be referenced in this one time. For the title block I would choose Overlay, although attachment is ok too.
  • Insertion Point: If the title block file was set up properly then you will want to make sure the “specify on screen” is unchecked. If it was drawn correctly – which if you’re getting it from your company it should be – then the title block will come in right at the corner of the sheet.
  • Scale: Again, uncheck the box.
  • The other setting never need to be changed.
• Press OK: Congratulations! You’ve successfully inserted your title block.

Setting up your bases & Xrefing them in

Great job! You’ve just had a quick introduction to Xrefing a file. Now, things are about to get a little more advanced, so stick with me! Let’s say the sheet you’ve set up is going to be your Landscape Sheet. However, you don’t want to do your actual landscape design directly in this sheet file—that’s where base files come into play!

Base files are essentially the foundation of your project. They hold your actual design work and are Xrefed into your sheet files. This keeps your drawings organized and allows for better management. By keeping your design separate from your sheet layout, you can easily update the base file, and those changes will automatically appear in any sheet where it’s referenced. This method ensures consistency across all sheets and avoids duplicating efforts or errors when updates are needed.

In more complex projects, you’ll often want the information from your “landscape base” to appear in other sheets, such as a Hardscape Sheet, even though it’s not the main focus. Typically, you’ll either grey out the landscape elements or turn off certain layers. This is why using base files is considered best practice, rather than drawing directly in your sheet file.

Setting up Xref Bases

In this 101 overview let’s say you’ve received a survey file and a civil engineer site base file from the project engineer. First let’s open up the survey file. The next steps you’ll want to do with every base you receive from a consultant prior to xrefing them into your landscape base file.

• First things first, we need to make sure the civil engineer hasn’t accidentally moved something far off into space, which can cause issues when you start drafting. To check this, follow these steps:
  • Type z (for zoom) and press Enter.
  • Type e (for extents) and press Enter. This command will zoom out to show everything in model space.
  • If the view zooms out much farther than expected, look around for any stray lines or objects that are far from your main survey drawing. If you find anything, highlight it and delete it.
  • Now, on to the next step!
• Next, select everything in the drawing. In the Properties menu, check the “General” tab and ensure the color setting is set to “By Layer.” This allows you to adjust line weights later without needing to go back into the original file when you reference it in other drawings.
• Now, type “purge” and press Enter. You’ll be prompted with a box showing unused layers, objects, and blocks that are slowing down your file. Click Purge until everything is set to 0, then press Close.
• Finally, type “audit” and press Enter. This command scans for and fixes any errors, such as corrupted objects or missing data. When prompted to fix any errors, type “Y” for yes.
• Great! Your file is all cleaned up. Now, Save As and create a separate survey base file. Every company will have its own file naming conventions, but for example, I might name mine “aaa_survey base.dwg.” This way, you’ll keep the original file from the civil engineer and have a cleaned-up version ready to use as an Xref. This process not only helps with file management but also keeps your file sizes more manageable.

You’ll do this with you civil engineer base file as well, and really any other file your receive prior to xrefing it into your drawing.

Now for the sake of this autocad tips 101, I am going to assume your company has a “landscape base” template. Open that template up. Remember how you xref’d your title block earlier? You’re going to do the same things with the Survey and civil base file you just cleaned up! For this Xref, however, there are two key things to remember:

1. Make sure to mark these files as “attachment”.
2. You need to be in model space this time, rather than paper space.

Ideally, everything comes in exactly where it needs to! However, this isn’t always the case, so here are a few troubleshooting tips:

• If one of the xrefs appears way far away from the other, click on it, and check the properties.
• In the properties box you’re look for a tab that says “Geometry”.
• Under this tab, you’ll find Scale values for X, Y, and Z. Check if any of these values are set to “0.” If they aren’t, change them to zero. Sometimes, Xrefs come in at a scale of 12 or 1/12 for reasons unknown—c’est la vie! This is how you can fix it!

creating a viewport

Now that both Xref bases are in the file, you’re all set to start crafting your landscape base masterpiece! Don’t forget to save it as “landscape base”—you’ll thank yourself later. Once you’ve got it looking sharp and you’re ready to roll, open up your landscape sheet. While in model space, bring in that landscape base.

Since you attached the survey and civil files to the landscape base instead of overlaying them, they’ll come along for the ride! Just double-check that everything is to scale and sitting pretty on an Xref layer (because best practices = happy files).

Now, let’s have some fun—it’s viewport time!

Think of viewports as your magic window to the model space world in AutoCAD. They allow you to view different parts of your design from model space while working in paper space. Essentially, you’re creating a custom view—zoomed in, out, or at any angle—without ever changing your actual drawing. Want a close-up of that beautiful detail? Or need an overview of the entire plan? That’s where viewports come into play!

To create a viewport, you’ll want to begin by being in your paper space of you sheet file. Now, again best practice is to be on a layer that is just for viewports. At my company this is layer is called “LA-TBLK-VPORT”.

• A dialog box will appear with various settings. While there are several options you could explore, in most cases, simply pressing Enter will suffice. This will let you move on quickly to the next step.
• Once you press Enter, you’ll be able to draw your viewport directly on the sheet by clicking and dragging to define the area you want to display.
• Next, in the lower-right corner, you’ll notice a scale box. This is where you’ll adjust the scale to show your drawing at the desired size. It’s crucial to select a specific scale (e.g., 1/8”=1’-0” or 1:100) rather than leaving it set to decimals. Proper scaling ensures your drawing is accurately represented on the sheet.
• Once you’re happy with the viewport and its scale, you can lock your viewport to prevent accidental adjustments. Locking ensures that your view stays consistent, even if you continue to work within the layout.

Elements to include on your sheet

Alright, we’re almost there! But before you wrap up your sheet setup, let’s talk about the must-have essentials that should always make an appearance on your sheet!

• Scale Bar:  The scale bar visually represents the scale of your drawing. It allows anyone viewing your sheet to accurately measure distances, even if the sheet is printed at a different size. This ensures your design stays proportionate and readable.
• North Arrow: The north arrow provides orientation for the design. It helps viewers understand the directionality of your layout, which is especially important for landscape architecture projects where sunlight, wind, and views impact design decisions.
• Sheet Title: The sheet title quickly tells the viewer what the sheet is about. Whether it’s a planting plan, grading plan, or hardscape layout, the title eliminates any guesswork and keeps everything organized.
• Sheet Number:  The sheet number helps organize multiple drawings in a set. It ensures that the sheets are easy to reference and follow, especially on large projects with many pages. No one likes flipping through a random stack of drawings!
• Legend:The legend explains the symbols, line types, and colors used in your drawing. It’s a quick reference guide for the viewer to interpret what different elements represent, making your plan understandable at a glance.

That wraps up the sheet setup section of our AutoCAD 101! There’s still more to cover—like city code tables, plant schedules, and legends—but this should give you a solid foundation for getting your sheets ready!

Readability of Plans

Alright, here’s the deal—this section is going to help you avoid unnecessary redlines, especially when it comes to readability. Even as a licensed professional with five years under my belt, redlines still happen, and that’s totally okay! They’re just part of refining the design. The goal here is to make sure those redlines are focused on content and design decisions rather than basic readability issues.

These tips will help you keep your drawings clear, so when redlines do show up, they’ll be for the important stuff, not because someone couldn’t figure out what’s what on the sheet!

LineWeights

Lineweights are one of the most important tools in your AutoCAD toolbox when it comes to creating clear, readable plans. They define the thickness of lines on your drawing, and when used correctly, they help viewers quickly understand the hierarchy and importance of different elements.

Why Lineweights Matter

In landscape architecture, lineweights help differentiate between major and minor features. For example, boundary lines, building outlines, or pathways should use thicker lines to stand out, while smaller details like plant groupings or contour lines should use thinner lines. This visual hierarchy makes it easier for someone to scan the plan and immediately know what’s most important.

Best Practices for Lineweight Hierarchy

• Property Lines: The heaviest lineweight should always be used for property lines, as they define the boundary of the site and need to stand out clearly.
• Building Outlines: Buildings should use thick lines to emphasize their structural importance.
• Utilities: Utilities are essential but don’t need to compete for attention. These lines should be greyed back to remain visible without overwhelming other elements.
• Parking Strips & Concrete Jointing: These should be drawn with the lightest lineweights since they are secondary details.

Balancing Landscape vs. Hardscape

The emphasis on landscape and hardscape elements depends on the type of plan you’re working on. Both elements generally fall within the mid-weight range but should be adjusted based on the focus of the sheet:

• Landscape Plan: On a landscape plan, your landscape elements (trees, plantings, softscape) should have slightly bolder lineweights than hardscape features, making them the focal point.
• Hardscape Plan: For a hardscape plan, the hardscape elements (paving, walls, pathways) should stand out with bolder lineweights, while landscape features are pushed to the background with lighter lineweights.

In both cases, neither landscape nor hardscape should use the heaviest or lightest lines, but they should be adjusted to support the main purpose of the drawing. The key is to create a clear visual hierarchy so that the focus of the sheet is immediately obvious.

General Tips for Lineweights

• Create a Clear Hierarchy: Use a consistent range of lineweights to show the importance of elements. Heavier lines for primary structures, and lighter lines for secondary or tertiary details.
• Follow Plot Styles: Most firms have designated plot styles, which automatically assign lineweights based on color. For example, magenta might represent your thickest line, while cyan could be used for thin details. Make sure you’re following these standards.
• Keep It Consistent: Inconsistent lineweights can make a drawing feel chaotic. Stick to a predefined system so that your plans are easy to interpret, regardless of who’s viewing them.

Tips for Success

• Use ByLayer Lineweights: Set lineweights by layer rather than manually changing individual objects. This ensures that all elements on a layer follow the same visual rules.
• Test Your Plot: Always do a test plot (or PDF print) to ensure your lineweights appear as intended. What looks good on screen may not translate well on paper if lineweights are too subtle or too bold.

By using lineweights effectively, you’ll create plans that are easier to read and understand, saving everyone time and reducing the chance for mistakes. It’s a small detail that makes a big difference in the overall presentation of your work!

Line types

Line types are another essential tool in AutoCAD that communicate different types of information through visual patterns, such as solid lines, dashed lines, or centerlines. When used properly, they help define everything from boundaries to utilities, ensuring that the viewer understands the intent of each element in the plan.

Why Line Types Matter

In landscape architecture, using the right line type helps distinguish between various elements and conveys important information. For example, utilities are often represented with specific designations (e.g., a “W” for water line, or “OHU” for overhead utility), while centerlines might be used to show alignments for structures or pathways.

Best Practices for Line Type Hierarchy

• Solid Lines: Use solid lines for primary elements like property boundaries, building outlines, or hardscape features. These are easily recognizable and indicate visible, significant features.
• Dashed Lines: Use dashed lines for utilities (like water or gas lines), easements, or setbacks—essentially anything that is important but isn’t physically present on the surface.
• Centerlines: Typically used for alignments or reference points, centerlines help guide the placement of other elements in your design.
• Fencelines: Fencelines should use a distinctive line type (often a dashed line with an “x”) to indicate the presence and style of fences.
• Edging: Edging lines (e.g., for beds) should have a global width applied to them. This gives the lines a set thickness regardless of zoom level, making the edges more visible on the plan. Global width is especially useful for elements like metal edging, which need to stand out without dominating the drawing.
• Property Line: Use a phantom line type (long dash, two short dashes) for property lines. This type of line clearly differentiates property boundaries from other elements on the plan

Using the Linetype Generation Tool

The Linetype Generation Tool in AutoCAD allows you to control how line types are applied to complex shapes or long polylines. This is important because line types like dashes can sometimes break down on curves or when the scale is incorrect.

Accessing and Using Linetype Generation, Global Width, and Scale for Lines

• Linetype Generation Tool: To access the Linetype Generation Tool, go to the Properties window after selecting a polyline or shape. Under the “Other” section, you’ll find the Linetype Generation option. Turn it on to ensure that line types like dashed lines stay consistent, even when applied to curves or long polylines. This avoids broken or inconsistent patterns.
• Global Width: To apply global width, select the polyline, right-click, and choose Properties. In the Propertieswindow, under the Geometry section, you’ll see a Global Width option. Set this value to the desired thickness (e.g., 0.10), which ensures that the line has a consistent width across different zoom levels and scales.
• Line Type Scale: To adjust line type scale, type LTSCALE in the command line and press Enter. This allows you to scale line types appropriately to fit the drawing’s scale, ensuring that dashed or patterned lines appear clearly and are not too compressed or too spread out.

Tips for Success

• Consistent Use of Line Types: Stick to a consistent line type system across your project to avoid confusion. Once you decide on a pattern for utilities, setbacks, or centerlines, make sure they are applied the same way on every sheet.
• Adjust Line Type Scales: Ensure that your line type scale is set appropriately for the drawing’s scale. Too small, and dashed lines may appear solid; too large, and they might become unreadable.

By mastering line types, you ensure that your drawings communicate more than just shapes—they convey the intent behind the design and help guide the reader through the various elements of the plan.

Annotative Scale

One of the most important aspects of creating readable, professional AutoCAD drawings is ensuring that all text and annotations (dimensions, labels, callouts, etc.) are clear and consistent, no matter the scale. This is where Annotative Scales come into play.

Why Annotative Scales Matter

Using annotative scales ensures that your text and dimensions are legible at any scale, no matter how much you zoom in or out. Without it, you might end up with text that’s too large and overwhelming or too small to read, depending on the scale of the drawing. Annotative scales automatically adjust the size of your text and dimensions based on the viewport scale, making it easier to maintain consistency across multiple sheets or views.

Best Practices for Annotative Text

• Always in Model Space: All text, dimensions, and annotations should be placed in model space rather than paper space. This ensures that the text scales properly in relation to the rest of your drawing when viewed in different viewports.
• Using Annotative Text: When creating text or leaders, make sure the Annotative option is enabled. This will allow you to assign the text a specific size based on the annotation scale you choose. For example, you can set text to always appear at 3/32” on paper, regardless of the viewport’s scale.
• How to Turn Text or Leaders Annotative:
  • After selecting the text or leader, right-click and select Properties.
  • In the Properties menu, scroll to the Annotative field under the Text or Leader section.
  • Change the value to Yes to make the object annotative.
  • Once enabled, you can set the object’s Annotation Scale in the properties or by using the scale menu in the status bar.
• Multiple Scales for One Text Object: You can assign multiple scales to a single annotative text object so it appears correctly across different viewports that use various scales (e.g., 1:100 in one viewport and 1:50 in another).

Why Model Space is Key

Placing your text and dimensions in model space (instead of paper space) ensures they scale properly with the rest of your drawing, regardless of how many viewports or sheets you use. This practice helps maintain a consistent look across the entire set of drawings and ensures that changes made to the text apply universally.

By mastering annotative scales, you’ll ensure your labels, dimensions, and text always look clean and professional, even across different scales and views. It’s a simple but powerful tool for improving the overall clarity of your drawings.

Helpful Commands

Alright, now that we’ve got the 411 on file setup and how to make your sheets actually readable, let’s dive into some game-changing commands that will seriously level up your AutoCAD skills! These are the secret weapons I personally swear by to make drafting a little less soul-crushing and a whole lot easier. Trust me, once you get the hang of these, you’ll wonder how you ever survived without them!

• MOCORO
  • What it does: Combines move, copy, and rotate into one action.
  • Why it’s helpful: Saves time by handling multiple transformations in one step.
  • How to use it:
    • Type MOCORO in the command line.
    • Select the objects you want to move, copy, or rotate.
    • Specify the base point, and then choose your transformation options (move, copy, or rotate).
    • Follow the prompts to complete the action.
• ALIGN
  • What it does: Moves, rotates, and scales objects based on reference points from one object to another.
  • Why it’s helpful: Perfect for precise alignment of objects, ensuring they match exactly.
  • How to use it:
    • Type ALIGN in the command line.
    • Select the objects you want to align.
    • Specify the source points and destination points (up to three points for accuracy).
    • Press Enter to move, rotate, and scale the objects to align them.
• ARRAY
  • What it does: Creates copies of objects in a regular pattern—rectangular, polar, or along a path.
  • Why it’s helpful: Quickly generates multiple, evenly spaced copies of objects.
  • How to use it:
    • Type ARRAY in the command line.
    • Choose Rectangular, Polar, or Path array.
    • Select the object you want to array.
    • Follow the prompts to set the number of items and spacing for the array.
• LAYFREEZE / LAYTHAW
  • What they do:
    • Layfreeze: Temporarily hides the objects on the selected layer in the current viewport.
    • Laythaw: Restores frozen layers, making them visible again.
  • Why they’re helpful: Helps declutter your workspace by hiding or showing layers as needed.
  • How to use it:
    • Type LAYFREEZE in the command line.
    • Select the layers you want to freeze.
    • Type LAYTHAW in the command line to restore frozen layers.
• TRIM
  • What it does: Removes parts of objects that extend beyond or intersect other objects.
  • Why it’s helpful: Keeps your drawing clean by trimming away unnecessary sections of lines or shapes.
  • How to use it:
    • Type TRIM in the command line.
    • Select the cutting edge (the boundary you want to trim to).
    • Select the parts of the objects you want to trim away.
• EXTEND
  • What it does: Extends objects to meet another boundary.
    • Why it’s helpful: Quickly lengthens lines or arcs to meet another element, closing gaps or finishing intersections.
      • How to use it:
        • Type EXTEND in the command line.
        • Select the boundary edge (the object you want to extend to).
        • Select the lines or objects you want to extend.
• OFFSET
  • What it does: Creates a parallel copy of an object at a specified distance.
  • Why it’s helpful: Great for quickly drawing parallel lines for roads, curbs, or pathways.
  • How to use it:
    • Type OFFSET in the command line.
    • Enter the distance for the offset.
    • Select the object to offset and click on the side where the parallel copy should be created.

Well, my fellow botanical enthusiasts, that wraps up this AutoCAD crash course for landscape architects! Whether you’re prepping for an internship, tackling a school assignment, or just needing a quick refresher, I hope these AutoCAD tips for landscape architects made your life a little easier (and maybe even a bit more fun).

If you’ve got any go-to tips or tricks, feel free to drop them in the comments below—let’s share the AutoCAD love! And remember, this is just a quick overview, not the ultimate AutoCAD bible, but it should help get you started or back on track. Happy drafting!