About Drawings and Templates

All drawings start from either a default drawing template file or a custom drawing template file that you create. Drawing template files store default settings, styles, and additional data.

When AutoCAD starts, a New Tab is displayed. Here, you can quickly start a new drawing file based on the specified template file or select a different template file from the template list to start a new drawing.

A drawing template file uses a .dwt file extension, and it specifies the styles, settings, and layouts in a drawing, including title blocks. The default templates are provided as samples.

CAD managers often create, maintain, and distribute drawing template files to maintain consistent standards and styles across an organization. Among the settings specified are

When you save these settings in a drawing template file, you can quickly start drawing without specifying any settings.