RECTANGLE

Draw a closed four-sided polyline in a single command.

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Learning objective

By the end of this lesson you can run the RECTANGLE command and draw a precisely sized rectangle as a single closed polyline.

What RECTANGLE is

RECTANGLE (alias REC, command RECTANG) creates a closed rectangular polyline by asking for two opposite corners. Because the result is one polyline, you can fillet, hatch and offset it in a single click.

Why and when you use it

Use RECTANGLE whenever you need a clean four-sided closed shape — walls, plates, title-block frames, viewports — without stitching four LINE segments together.

Where to find it in the AutoCAD interface

Ribbon: Home tab → Draw panel → Rectangle button.
Menu: Draw menu → Rectangle.
Command line: Type RECTANG (or REC) and press Enter.
Alias / shortcut: REC (then Enter).

Key vocabulary

Polyline: A single object made of connected line and/or arc segments.
Closed shape: A shape whose end meets its start, with no gap. Required for HATCH, EXTRUDE, and area calculation.
First corner: Any one corner of the rectangle — usually the bottom-left in drafting.
Opposite corner: The diagonally opposite corner that defines width and height.
Dimensions option: An option inside RECTANG that lets you type a length and width instead of picking the second corner.

Before you start

Start a fresh drawing from acad.dwt.
Press F3 to make sure OSNAP is on — handy if you'll snap the first corner to existing geometry.
Decide your rectangle's width and height. This lesson uses 200 × 100.

Step-by-step instructions

1
Start the RECTANGLE command
2
Pick the first corner
3
Type the second corner relative to the first
4
Verify it is one closed polyline

Common mistakes & fixes

Forgetting the @ symbol and getting a rectangle in the wrong place.
Fix: Always type @ before relative offsets, e.g. @200,100.
Using LINE four times instead of REC.
Fix: Use REC so the result is a single closed polyline — much easier to fillet, hatch and offset.
Picking corners with the mouse instead of typing dimensions.
Fix: Inside REC, type D, press Enter, then type length and width for exact sizing.

Troubleshooting

Edges are bevelled instead of square.Show

Cause: Chamfer option was set in a previous RECTANG and persisted.

Fix: Restart REC, type C, Enter, set both chamfer distances to 0, then continue.

Corners are rounded.Show

Cause: Fillet option was set previously.

Fix: Restart REC, type F, Enter, set fillet radius to 0.

Edges are unexpectedly thick.Show

Cause: Width option holds a non-zero value.

Fix: Restart REC, type W, Enter, set width back to 0.

Practice exercise

Title-block frame

Draw a 400 × 250 rectangle as the outer sheet boundary.
Run REC again. Snap the first corner to the bottom-left endpoint of the outer rectangle (OSNAP → Endpoint).
Type @400,40 and Enter to create a 400 × 40 title bar at the bottom.

Success looks like: Two clean closed polylines: an outer sheet and a title bar stacked at the bottom-left, perfectly aligned.

Pro tips & related commands

Pro tips

Inside REC, type D for Dimensions to enter length and width as separate prompts.
Inside REC, type R for Rotation to draw the rectangle at any angle without rotating afterwards.
EXPLODE a rectangle to break it back into four LINE segments only when you genuinely need to edit one side independently.

Related commands

POLYGON(POL)
Draw a regular polygon (5, 6, 8 sides…) by centre and radius.
PLINE(PL)
Draw an arbitrary connected polyline.
OFFSET(O)
Make a parallel copy of the rectangle inside or outside.

Lesson quiz

0/3 correct

Score at least 3/3 to unlock lesson completion.

1. REC asks for which two inputs?

2. What does the result of REC behave as?

3. Inside REC, which option lets you type length and width separately?

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