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LibreCAD Quick Start Guide/LibreCAD Screen

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This guide assumes that you have already installed LibreCAD, you can download the last release here


NOTE: LibreCAD runs on GNU/Linux, Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, each of which has several versions, therefore some pictures might not not look exactly like what you see on your computer.


LibreCAD main window

When you start LibreCAD the main window appears on your screen, showing the GUI (the Graphical User Interface). Based on your preferred operating system the screen might look like one of the followings:

LibreCAD on GNU/Linux (GNOME 3)
LibreCAD on Windows


LibreCAD window is divided into seven areas:

  • Main menu and tools;
  • Main CAD tools;
  • Model space;
  • Command line;
  • Status bar;
  • Layer list;
  • Block list.

The following picture highlights these areas:


Application window.png


Main menu

The main menu is at the very top of the window application. From the main menu you can reach every command, but there are faster way to make the same job: command line and toolbars.

Main tools: top toolbars

If you right-click on the icons of the toolbars a selection menu will appear: you can select which toolbars to show. If you click on the three small horizontal lines on the left of each toolbar, see picture, you can grab the related toolbar and move it on a new position of the screen.

Toolbars 1.png

Toolbars 2.png


File toolbar

  • New
  • Open
  • Save
  • Print
  • Print preview

Edit toolbar

  • Selection pointer
  • Undo
  • Redo
  • Cut
  • Copy
  • Paste

View toolbar

  • Grid
  • Draft
  • Redraw
  • Zoom in
  • Zoom out
  • Auto zoom
  • Previous view
  • Window zoom
  • Zoom panning

Corner toolbar

  • Menu
  • Minimize
  • Restore down
  • Close

Pen selection toolbar

  • Line color
  • Line width
  • Line Type

Snap selection toolbar

  • Free snap
  • Grid snap
  • Snap on Endpoints
  • Snap on Entity
  • Snap center
  • Snap middle
  • Snap distance
  • Snap intersection
  • Restrict Horizontal
  • Restrict Vertical
  • Set relative zero position
  • Lock relative zero position

Tool option toolbar

This toolbar will appear when you select a tool from the "Main CAD Tools toolbar".


Main CAD tools

Main CAD tools are located on the left side of the sreen.


MainCADTools.png