how to draw dashed line in autocad: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners
Drawing dashed lines in AutoCAD seems simple — until your line appears solid, prints wrong, or doesn’t scale correctly. If you’ve ever struggled to show dashed, center, or hidden lines properly in your drawings, this guide is for you.
Whether you're a student, an architect, or a CAD technician, this step-by-step tutorial will help you confidently create and display dashed lines in AutoCAD.
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Why Your Dashed Line Looks Solid in AutoCAD
Before diving into how to draw it, let’s understand why dashed lines often don’t display correctly:
- The dashed linetype isn't loaded into the drawing
- The object is using the wrong linetype
- The line scale is too small or too large (LTSCALE issue)
- You're in a layout (paper space) with inconsistent scale settings
- Your plot settings override visual styles
Fixing these takes just a few steps — let’s walk through them.
How to Draw Dashed Lines in AutoCAD (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Load the Dashed Linetype
Type LINETYPE or go to Format > Linetype...
In the dialog box, click Load
Scroll down and choose DASHED, HIDDEN, or CENTER depending on your need
Click OK to add it to your drawing
Step 2: Assign Dashed Linetype to an Object
Select your object (line, polyline, circle, etc.)
In the Properties panel (or use the CH command), find the Linetype property
Set it to DASHED or the one you loaded
If the line still looks solid — don’t worry, you’re one step away.
Step 3: Adjust the Linetype Scale (LTSCALE)
1.Type LTSCALE in the command bar and press Enter
2.Try different values (e.g., 0.5, 1, 10)
- For large-scale drawings, use larger numbers
- For small elements, try values below 1
3.Type REGEN to refresh the drawing and apply the scale
Tip: For layout space, also check PSLTSCALE (Paper Space Linetype Scale). Setting it to 1 syncs linetype appearance in paper space.
How to Apply Dashed Lines to Layers
To automatically apply dashed lines to all objects on a specific layer:
Open the Layer Properties Manager
Create or select a layer
In the Linetype column, assign DASHED or any custom linetype
Draw on this layer — all new lines will follow the assigned style
Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them
Q: I assigned a dashed linetype, but it still looks solid.
A: You likely need to adjust LTSCALE and PSLTSCALE, then run REGEN.
Q: My dashed lines don’t show up correctly in print.
A: Check your plot style settings. Avoid plot styles that force continuous lines.
Q: Can I create my own custom dashed pattern?
A: Yes! Use the MKLTYPE command to define a new linetype with a custom dash-gap sequence.
Please check with customer service before testing new feature.
