The functionality of ArcGIS for AutoCAD is accessed primarily through the ArcGIS ribbon.
Ribbon layout
The commands on the ribbon are grouped by the type of functionality you are performing, such as managing your GIS project, adding GIS content, or editing features.
The following ribbon commands are described in the sections below:
Main ribbon
The commands on the main ribbon are described in the following table:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
  | Options to set and manage the coordinate system of the drawing. |
  | Quick access to add Esri map layers useful as basemaps. |
  | Display the Locate pane to navigate the drawing by address or place-name. |
  | Set the project area to limit the geographic extent of feature layer features added to the drawing using various options. |
  | Add new or existing GIS layers to the drawing using various methods. |
  | Open the Esri Contents pane. |
  | Import document feature class definitions from existing DWG files. |
  | Add document feature layers using various options. |
  | View and edit attributes of selected features with the Attribute Editor user interface. |
  | Discard all web feature layer edits and refresh features from their web service sources. |
  | Synchronize web feature layer edits with their web service sources by opening the Synchronize User interface. |
  | Opens the Share as Hosted Feature Layer user interface to share document feature layers. |
  | Opens this help system user interface. |
  | Opens the ArcGIS for AutoCADResource page. |
  | Opens the ArcGIS for AutoCAD About window. |
Coordinate System options
The commands on the main ribbon are described in the following table:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Access Coordinate System Selector to assign an Esri coordinate system for the drawing. |
| List the existing Esri coordinate system definition for the drawing to the command line. |
| Clear the Esri coordinate system definition from the drawing. |
Esri Maps ribbon options
The commands on the Esri Maps pull down are described in the following table:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Click a tile to add an Esri map from ArcGIS Online from the gallery of background maps. |
Project Area ribbon options
The commands on the Project Area pull down ribbon are described in the following table:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Set the project area from the current AutoCAD view extents. |
| Set the project area from a graphic rectangular selection. |
| Change the AutoCAD view extents to match the current project area. |
Add Data ribbon options
The commands on the Add Data pull down ribbon are described in the following table:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Open the Add Data window to search and discover content from ArcGIS portals. |
| Open the Add Data by URL user interface to specify a supported ArcGIS web service. |
New Feature Layer ribbon options
The commands on the New Feature Layer pull down ribbon are described in the following table:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Create a document feature layer using the Create New Document Feature Layer dialog box. |
| Create a document feature layer for each included geometric type on each AutoCAD layer with valid entities. |
| Create feature layers from unique block names and included attributes as attribute fields. |
| Create a feature layer using the matching properties of a selected entity. |