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Reference

ELLIPSE in AutoCAD

How AutoCAD's ELLIPSE (EL) works, prompt by prompt: an axis and the other half-axis, by its Center, Rotation, an elliptical Arc. Try it free in your browser.

ELLIPSE draws an ellipse from the two ends of one axis, then the distance from its middle to the end of the other axis: half the other axis's length. Either axis can be the longer one. It is a true ellipse, as AutoCAD's, not a polyline, so Center, Quadrant and Nearest snap to it, and its grips move it and set each half-axis. While you give the second end, an amber dashed line runs from the first; at the distance, the ellipse follows the cursor. The ellipse is made on the current layer, with the properties current when it is fixed.

At the command line

The engine draws it and writes its history as you would type it: the prompts in AutoCAD 2027's order, with the same option letters.

An ellipse by the two ends of an axis, one by its Center, and half an elliptical Arc, from 0 to 180 degrees.
  1. Command: ELLIPSE
  2. Specify axis endpoint of ellipse or [Arc/Center]: 0,0
  3. Specify other endpoint of axis: @80,0
  4. Specify distance to other axis or [Rotation]: 20
  5. Command: ELLIPSE
  6. Specify axis endpoint of ellipse or [Arc/Center]: C
  7. Specify center of ellipse: 120,0
  8. Specify endpoint of axis: @0,30
  9. Specify distance to other axis or [Rotation]: 15
  10. Command: ELLIPSE
  11. Specify axis endpoint of ellipse or [Arc/Center]: A
  12. Specify axis endpoint of elliptical arc or [Center]: 240,0
  13. Specify other endpoint of axis: @-80,0
  14. Specify distance to other axis or [Rotation]: 20
  15. Specify start angle or [Parameter]: 0
  16. Specify end angle or [Parameter/Included angle]: 180
An ellipse by the two ends of an axis, one by its Center, and half an elliptical Arc, from 0 to 180 degrees.

Options

Arc (A)

Draws an elliptical arc: the same prompts as an ellipse, then a start angle and an end angle, counter-clockwise from the end of the first axis you gave.

Center (C)

Starts from the centre: then the end of one axis, then the distance to the other.

Rotation (R)

Instead of the distance: the angle the ellipse is turned by about its first axis, as a circle seen at that angle. 0 draws a circle; an angle within 0.6 degrees of 90 is refused with *Invalid*.

Parameter (P)

In an arc, instead of the start or end angle: the angle on the circle the ellipse is drawn from, AutoCAD's parameter. Angle goes back to angles.

Included angle (I)

In an arc, instead of the end angle: how far it sweeps from the start. Enter takes 180, half the ellipse.

What it does not do yet

Isocircle, offered by AutoCAD only with the isometric snap style, which is not built here. PELLIPSE 1, an ellipse drawn as a polyline. Hatching or dimensioning an ellipse, and the Intersection, Tangent and Perpendicular snaps on it. The arrow grips at an elliptical arc's ends, drawn square here, and typing a length or angle while a grip is hot. A point with a Z at the distance is measured in plan, where AutoCAD measures it in space.

What it does and still lacks, in detail (in English)

Questions

What is the shortcut for ELLIPSE in AutoCAD?

EL, then Enter or Space. The full name works too, and _ELLIPSE in any language of AutoCAD.

How do I draw half an ellipse in AutoCAD?

Choose Arc, give the axis and the distance, then a start angle of 0 and an end angle of 180. Or press Enter at Included, which sweeps 180 by default.

How do I draw an ellipse from its center?

Choose Center, give the centre, then the end of one axis, then the distance from the centre to the end of the other: the ellipse's two half-axes.

How do I draw an isometric circle in AutoCAD?

AutoCAD draws it with ELLIPSE's Isocircle, once the snap style is isometric. Neither is built in MellowCAD yet.

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