AutoCAD Interior Design: A Comprehensive Guide

In the past, interior design was a relatively manual craft. Designers relied on paper, rulers, and colored pens to articulate their ideas. However, with the advent of AutoCAD, interior design can now seamlessly unfold on a digital screen. This helpful tool not only provides efficient interior design tools but also allows designers to visually demonstrate and optimize their designs.

If you’re interested in learning how to use the tool for interior design, this tutorial is exactly what you’re looking for. Here will introduce the tools and features used in interior design and explain the design steps through examples. Now, let’s dive in!

Why Choose AutoCAD for Interior Design

As a drawing and drafting software developed and sold by Autodesk, Auto CAD is an all-in-one solution for all interior design needs. Alone can fulfill the entire interior design tasks. What sets it apart from other AutoCAD alternatives is its decades-long development as an industry standard. Adhering to industry norms, and making collaboration with other designers, engineers, and partners more seamless.

Even more beneficial is the reputation for intuitive practicality. With real-time visualization, designers can easily grasp how their designs will look and feel, conducive to smoother communication and adjustments with clients. This intuitive operational approach also simplifies the learning curve when using it for interior design to some extent.

What to Prepare Before Interior Design

AutoCAD serves as a robust tool for interior design with optimal results come from the selection of a compatible and high-performance device, coupled with a thorough understanding of the specific features for interior design.

Select the Right Devices

In its early stages, they only worked with Windows. Since the 2019 version, has versions that work on macOS too. But, no matter your computer’s system, you need to meet basic requirements. Going back to 2010, your Windows computer should be Windows 7 Ultimate, Professional, Home Premium; Windows Vista (SP1); or Windows XP (SP2 or later), with at least 1 GB of disk space for installation.

Currently, users are running the released 2024 version. For this version, Windows computers need to be 64-bit with Windows 11 and Windows 10 versions 1809 or higher. The disk space requirement is at least 10 GB. If you’re using a MacBook, the system requires macOS Big Sur v11 or above, and at least 6 GB available for downloading and installation.

In addition to the computer system, the mouse and keyboard are super important. When you’re doing 3D modeling for interior design, you need to look at it from different angles. Orbit, Zoom, and Pan are the most frequently used features in 2D and 3D views. A three-button scroll mouse can help you a lot in this case because it has handy shortcuts for these operations. Also, these basic features can be accomplished with keyboard shortcuts. Therefore, the durable and suitable mouse and keyboard can support your long-term design endeavors.

Know the Basic Tools and Features

AutoCAD provides a rich set of tools for architectural and interior design workflows. With certain commands, design automation can be achieved and even increase efficiency by up to 61%. Here are the key tools and features commonly used in interior design.

Over 8000 Architectural Components: Architectural components encompass pre-defined building elements like doors, windows, stairs, walls, and more. With these components, designers can enhance design efficiency as they don’t need to start drawing every detail from scratch.
Automatic Object Generation: This feature streamlines design workflow and saves time by automatically generating common architectural elements such as floor plans, elevations, sections, and ceiling grids.
Space and Zone Objects Design: Space Objects and Zone Objects are intended to help designers efficiently plan and arrange spaces. Through space allocation, analysis, and labeling, designers can more accurately simulate the functions within a building, providing a more intuitive perspective for the design process.
Architectural Renovation: Present existing, demolished, and newly added design elements in a single drawing. This speeds up the renovation design and production process while minimizing errors commonly associated with editing multiple drawings.

How to Use for Interior Design

As the saying goes, “Experience is the mother of wisdom.” Since AutoCAD is not CAD software for beginners, the following will give an example to demonstrate how to use for interior design by creating a dining table and chairs.

Step 1. Determine Basic Dimensions

Measure the actual dimensions or refer to online furniture data to determine the basic dimensions of the dining table and chairs. Select the “Line” tool to accurately draw these furniture items in the project space.

Step 2. Arrange Your Chairs Around the Table

According to the number of chairs you want to design, use the “Line” tool to divide the table into several sections. Slide the chairs over the divided sections to highlight them, and type “M” to activate the “Move” toolbar. Then place the chairs on one side, where you can type in “Mirror”. This will duplicate the positioned chairs, and you can drag the duplicates to the other side of the table.

Step 3. Create a Side Elevation Drawing

Use the “Line” tool again to copy the first step of the top view. Draw it from the side and keep the same dimensions as the top view. Then, add offsets to represent the tabletop and table legs from both the top and side.

Step 4. Add Chair Elevations From Samples

Locate the image you want to model the chair from, then use the “File” > “Attach” toolbar to insert it. Scale the image to match the desired chair size, and use the “Line” tool to outline the chair image, creating a block. This creates a 2D model of the chair based on the reference image. Afterward, use the “Ray” tool to draw lines from a top-down view to your desired height, allowing you to position the chair around the table.

Step 5. Color the Table and Chairs

Select the objects you want to color, then pick the “Hatch” option on the left toolbar. In the new toolbar that appears, choose your colors and click on different parts of the table or chair to add color.

Conclusion

Now that you’re familiar with the main features and specific operations for interior design. Hope this information helps you embark on your own designs. AutoCAD may not be the most user-friendly for beginners. But with determination, you can achieve mature interior designs.