AutoCAD Initial Setup: Saving, Linetypes, Text Styles and Units

Ufuk ŞEN

October 29, 2026Updated: November 9, 20264 min read1

AutoCAD initial setup is the first step to a clean, organized drawing. In the fifth lesson of our AutoCAD series, we explain how we prepare a new file from scratch. We set up the save format, linetypes, text styles and units one by one. We made it for users who are new to AutoCAD and will later move their plans into SketchUp.

AutoCAD Initial Setup: Saving, Linetypes, Text Styles and Units

We recorded this lesson in 2013 with the classic AutoCAD interface. In newer versions, the menus moved to the ribbon layout. Still, the command names and settings windows have stayed largely the same. (The video is in Turkish; this guide walks through the key steps in English.)

In this video

naming the file and saving it in a compatible version,
loading linetypes from the Linetype window,
setting up separate text styles for titles, dimensions and doors and windows,
choosing units and precision in the Units window.

Should you start from scratch every time?

To be honest, we rarely set things up from scratch. We save a file we used before under a different name with Save As. Then we delete the drawing inside and carry on with the same settings. This method saves a lot of time. But you need to know these settings when you set up your first file.

AutoCAD initial setup: the save format

When you open a new sheet, the file name comes up as Drawing1.dwg. We change its name with File > Save As. In the video we named the file test. After saving, you see the file name at the top of the window.

For us, the file type comes up automatically as AutoCAD 2000 format. That is because we set it beforehand in Tools > Options, on the Open and Save tab. When you send a file to another office, the other side sometimes uses an older version. An older version cannot open a file saved in a newer version. So it makes sense to choose an older format to be safe.

AutoCAD initial setup: linetypes

We explained the Layer logic in the third and fourth lessons of the series. In this lesson we go to the Linetype window from the Format menu. Here you find types such as continuous, dashed, grid and facade lines. Click the Load button and a long list appears. For example, we select types such as ISO 02 while holding Ctrl and click OK.

The loaded types are now ready to use in the drawing. Then we go back to the Layer window and change the linetype of a layer. That way every line you draw on that layer comes out dashed. We usually set line weights at the plot stage.

AutoCAD initial setup: text styles

In our view, text styles are the most important setting. On a drawing sheet, titles, dimensions and room names should be different sizes. We open the Text Style window from the Format menu and create a new style with New. In the video we assumed we were working at 1/50 scale.

Title: height 30, font Arial Black. For titles such as “Ground floor plan”.
Dimension: height 13, a simple font similar to Century Gothic.
Doors and windows: height 10. For door sizes such as 90/220.

For each style we click Apply and close the window. Then, when we write with the Text command, the active style is used. In the seventh minute of the video, you can clearly see the size difference between two texts. You also do not need to change the style from the menu every time. You can switch quickly from the style list at the top.

Units and precision

Finally, we open the Units window from the Format menu. The Precision field sets how many decimal places numbers show. For architectural plans we set it to a single zero. We also choose centimeters as the working unit. That way you see just 30 instead of 30.0.

Precise work such as steel details is different. There you work in millimeters, so decimal places matter. We cover the detailed settings of the dimension style in a separate lesson.

You can find the whole series on our AutoCAD basics course page. For a general roadmap, read our AutoCAD training article. If you will later move your drawing into SketchUp, the floor modeling with DWG lesson is the natural next step. For the current version of the program, see the Autodesk AutoCAD page.

Summary

AutoCAD initial setup comes down to a few windows. Save the file in a compatible version and load the linetypes you need. Then set up a separate style for each kind of text. Set the units and precision in the Units window. After that, keep this file as a template and reuse it on every project.