Opening a powerful design program like BricsCAD for the first time can feel like stepping into a spaceship cockpit—a bewildering array of buttons and dials. Don’t worry. Our goal isn’t to learn every button; we will ignore almost all of them and get you drawing in the next 15 minutes.
At its core, Computer-Aided Design (CAD) is simply a tool for bringing precise ideas to life. It’s for anyone who wants to sketch a perfect floor plan, design a custom bookshelf, or create an accurate plan for a project. It’s about turning a thought into a digital reality.
If you searched for ‘bricscad tutorial for beginners’ or ‘tutorial bricscad’, you’re in the right place. This quick BricsCAD overview highlights essential BricsCAD features and BricsCAD basics so you can learn bricscad without overwhelm.
Many people wonder, “Is BricsCAD easy to learn?” In this BricsCAD Beginner Tutorial: Getting Started, you’ll get that answer by achieving a quick win. This guide will walk you through completing one simple, practical task: drawing an accurate layout for a desk setup. By the end, that intimidating blank screen will hold your finished drawing, and you will have the core skills to start exploring on your own.
This beginner-friendly guide focuses on just what you need to get productive in BricsCAD Lite: the Drawing Area, Ribbon, and especially the Command Line. You’ll learn to navigate (Zoom, Pan), draw and edit with core commands (LINE, ERASE, UNDO), and draft precisely using Ortho Mode (F8) and Object Snaps (F3). A quick project—laying out a room and desk—uses RECTANGLE, MOVE, and TRIM to place and clean up geometry. You’ll finish with a solid foundation and clear next steps into layers, dimensions, and optional 3D/BIM exploration.
BricsCAD offers a few different products, but choosing the best version for beginners is simple. To learn BricsCAD fundamentals of 2D drafting, you only need BricsCAD Lite. The other versions are built for more advanced or specialised work you can explore much later.
BricsCAD Lite: For 2D drafting – this is all you need!
BricsCAD Pro: Adds 3D modelling.
BricsCAD BIM / Mechanical: For specialised professional work.
Your drawings are saved as .DWG files—the universal standard for CAD, much like a .JPG is for photos. This ensures your work is compatible everywhere. Before installing, quickly check the BricsCAD system requirements on their website to confirm your computer is ready, though most modern machines have no trouble.
With BricsCAD Lite installed, you have everything needed. No other special tools or prior experience are required.
You can safely ignore 99% of the buttons on the screen. To get started, you only need to recognise three key areas of the User Interface (UI).
The large, black, open space is your Drawing Area . Think of this as an infinite digital drafting board. At the top of the screen is the Ribbon, a familiar-looking toolbar with icons grouped into tabs. It’s a visual way to find tools, but we’re going to focus on a more direct method.
Look at the bottom of the screen for a small text-entry box. This is the Command Line, and it is the most important part of BricsCAD. This is where you have a direct conversation with the software. Instead of hunting for buttons, you simply type a command—like LINE or CIRCLE—and press Enter. It’s the fastest way to bring your ideas to life.
That’s all you need to know for now: your canvas (Drawing Area), your visual toolbox (Ribbon), and your direct instruction box (Command Line). Consider this a concise BricsCAD overview touching the core BricsCAD features you’ll use from day one.
Since the Drawing Area is an infinite digital sheet of paper, you’ll need to navigate it. The easiest way is to Zoom. Roll your mouse’s scroll wheel forward to get a closer look and backward to see the bigger picture. It’s like using a magnifying glass.
To move your view left, right, up, or down without changing the zoom level, you’ll Pan. Press and hold your scroll wheel down as if it were a third button. Your cursor will change into a hand icon. Now, while holding the wheel down, move your mouse to slide your entire view across the screen.
Zoom and Pan only move your viewpoint, not your actual drawing objects. Think of it as moving a camera around a movie set—the set itself stays put. These two actions give you complete control over your workspace.
In BricsCAD, you don’t just ‘draw’; you give the software precise instructions called Commands. To begin, type the word LINE into the Command Line and press Enter.
Your cursor has changed, and the program is waiting for you. Click once anywhere on the black screen to set your line’s starting point. As you move your mouse, a ‘rubber band’ line will stretch from that point. Click a second time to place the end point. Congratulations! You’ve just used your first command to create your first object.
This simple sequence—Command, Click, Result—is the heartbeat of 2D drafting. You’ve learned the fundamental pattern for creating almost anything. Don’t worry if your first line isn’t perfect; fixing mistakes is free. You’ve just used one of the essential BricsCAD commands.
Learning to remove objects isn’t about failure; it’s about freedom. To remove a specific object, use the ERASE command. Type ERASE and press Enter. Your cursor will turn into a small pickbox. Click on the line you drew to select it, then press Enter again. It’s gone.
But what if you want to reverse the very last thing you did? For that, BricsCAD has a universal “oops” button. Hold down the Ctrl key and press Z . This is the UNDO command. The line you just erased will pop right back into existence. This shortcut is your personal time machine, letting you step backward one action at a time.
With ERASE for targeted removal and UNDO for quick corrections, you have a powerful safety net. This means you can—and should—experiment without fear.
Drawing a perfectly straight horizontal or vertical line freehand is nearly impossible. This is where a vital BricsCAD tool comes into play: Ortho Mode. Think of it as a digital ruler that locks your cursor’s movement to perfect 90-degree angles.
To activate it, press the F8 key. Now, start the LINE command again. You’ll immediately see that your cursor is constrained, allowing you to create flawless horizontal and vertical lines with zero guesswork.
Pressing F8 again toggles Ortho Mode off. You can also click the ORTHO button on the Status Bar at the bottom of the screen. Mastering this toggle is a crucial step in ensuring your work looks clean and professional.
You’ve mastered straight lines, but making them connect flawlessly is the next challenge. If you try to start a new line at the end of an existing one, you’ll often find a tiny, frustrating gap or overlap when you zoom in.
BricsCAD solves this with Object Snaps (or Osnaps), which turn your cursor into a magnet. When active, your cursor automatically “snaps” to precise points on your drawing—like endpoints or midpoints—ensuring a perfect connection every time.
To activate this powerful tool, press the F3 key. With Osnaps on, start the LINE command and move your cursor near the end of another line. A small green square will appear on the endpoint, confirming you are locked on. Click now, and your new line will start from that exact spot, guaranteed.
By combining Ortho Mode (F8) for straightness and Object Snaps (F3) for connections, you’ve unlocked the core method for precision drafting. You can now draw with confidence, ready to build something real.
It’s time to put your new skills to work by creating a simple floor plan of a room with a desk. Instead of drawing four individual lines for the walls, use the faster RECTANGLE command, which creates a perfect four-sided shape with just two clicks.
Type RECTANGLE and press Enter. Click once to set a starting corner for your room, then move your mouse and click again to define the opposite corner. Repeat the process nearby to draw a second, smaller rectangle to represent your desk.
To place the desk accurately against a wall, use the essential MOVE command. Start by typing MOVE and pressing Enter. BricsCAD will ask you to select objects; click your desk rectangle and press Enter again. Now, using your Osnaps, click on a corner of the desk (the base point), and then click on a corner of the room (the destination point). The desk will instantly snap into place.
Congratulations! You have just completed your first small project by combining the RECTANGLE and MOVE commands with the precision of Osnaps. This workflow—creating shapes and then positioning them—is fundamental to all design work.
When lines overlap or extend too far, the ERASE command is too clumsy. For more finesse, the TRIM command acts like smart scissors, snipping away parts of an object right up to where it meets another. It’s the perfect tool for creating clean openings, like a doorway.
To try it, draw two short, vertical lines over one of the walls on your main room rectangle to define the door opening. Activate the tool by typing TRIM and pressing Enter. BricsCAD enters a “clipping” mode, understanding that any intersecting line can act as a cutting boundary.
With the TRIM command active, move your cursor over the section of wall between the two new lines. You’ll see it fade, previewing the removal. Click once, and it’s gone! You’ve just cut a clean opening for a door. This is one of the most common and powerful actions in 2D CAD.
Just a short while ago, you were facing a blank screen. Now, you’ve built an accurate, clean 2D plan, transforming an intimidating space into a structured design.
The skills you gained—drawing precisely, modifying objects, and setting up your workspace—are the foundation for every project. As you continue to learn BricsCAD, your journey can follow this path:
Organising with Layers: To keep complex drawings tidy.
Adding Dimensions: To communicate exact sizes professionally.
Exploring 3D Modelling: To bring your designs to life.
When you’re ready to go beyond 2D, follow a “BricsCAD 3d tutorial” or a “BricsCAD 3d modeling tutorial” to expand your skills, and try a “BricsCAD BIM tutorial” if you’re moving into Building Information Modeling.
If you prefer to read guides on how to increase your knowledge in BricsCAD, take a look at our ultimate guide, covering every version from start to finish. For those who haven’t downloaded BricsCAD yet, take a look at our installation and setup guide and ensure your journey is started right.
Overall, that blank screen is no longer a barrier; it is your canvas. Take this new confidence and try sketching another simple room or object. Every line you draw is another step toward mastering your new skill.
If you would like to further your skills with a BricsCAD expert in person, discover our essentials training course. This course is taught with our experts who have over 25 years of knowledge in the CAD industry.
Question: Which BricsCAD version should I start with, and will my drawings be compatible elsewhere? Short answer: Start with BricsCAD Lite for all 2D drafting basics—it’s all you need as a beginner. Your drawings are saved as .DWG files, the universal CAD standard, so they’ll open widely in other software. Pro adds 3D modeling, and BIM/Mechanical are for specialized work you can explore later. A quick check of BricsCAD’s system requirements is recommended, though most modern computers are fine.
Question: What are the three essential areas of the BricsCAD interface, and why is the Command Line so important? Short answer: Focus on the Drawing Area (your canvas), the Ribbon (visual tool tabs), and the Command Line (where you type commands). The Command Line is the fastest, most direct way to work—type commands like LINE or RECTANGLE and press Enter to execute, instead of hunting through icons.
Question: How do I move around my drawing without changing anything? Short answer: Use Zoom and Pan to move your viewpoint only. Scroll the mouse wheel to Zoom in/out; press and hold the wheel (middle button) to Pan. These actions never alter your objects—think of moving a camera around a fixed set.
Question: How do I draw perfectly straight lines and make elements connect exactly? Short answer: Turn on Ortho Mode (F8) to lock movement to 90° angles for flawless horizontal/vertical lines. Enable Object Snaps (F3) to “magnetically” snap to precise points like endpoints (you’ll see a green square). Together, they ensure straight, perfectly connected geometry.
Question: What’s the basic workflow in the first project, and how do I fix or clean up mistakes? Short answer:
Create shapes: Use RECTANGLE to draw the room and a second rectangle for the desk.
Position precisely: Use MOVE, snapping from a desk corner to a room corner with Osnaps.
Clean geometry: Use TRIM like smart scissors to cut parts of lines (e.g., a door opening).
Fix mistakes: Use ERASE to delete selected objects; use UNDO (Ctrl+Z) to reverse your last action instantly.
