How to Draw an Oval Shape Autocad

By Jessica Reed

Updated February 10, 2017

i Ciaran Griffin/Lifesize/Getty Images

Drawing an oval in AutoCAD isn't the same simple process as drawing a circle. Instead of dragging the mouse to the desired size, you'll need to mark a few points so the computer can draw your oval to the size you want. The function for drawing an oval is not called an oval tool as you might expect, but rather an ellipse tool. This tool allows you to draw both ellipses, which are larger on one end than the other, along with perfect ovals, which are the same at both ends.

Open AutoCAD and click the "Ellipse" button on the left side toolbar. It shows an ellipse on its side with three red dots on it.

Click the point on the screen where you want to start the oval. This will represent one end of your oval. The command box at the bottom should read "Specify axis endpoint of ellipse."

Drag your mouse upward and click where you want the other end of the oval to be. This vertical line you are creating will control how tall the oval is. A shorter line creates a shorter oval and a longer line will give you a longer oval. The command box should read " Specify other endpoint of axis." Click where you want this top endpoint to be. A circle should appear onscreen.

Drag the mouse out horizontally from the center after specifying these two endpoints. The circle will stretch and form an oval instead of a circle. Stretch the oval out horizontally to the desired distance. The command box should say "Specify distance to other axis." Click the mouse when the ellipse looks wide enough to create the finished oval.

Tips

To draw an ellipse, drag the mouse out horizontally from a point other than the center. As you move your mouse around the screen, you'll notice one end of the ellipse gets larger than the other depending on where you move your mouse.

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