Common default keyboard shortcuts across SolidWorks, AutoCAD, ANSYS, MATLAB, Revit, and KiCad. Filter by software and search by action. Shortcuts reflect default keymaps — some can be customized or vary slightly by version.
This reference collects the most commonly used default keyboard shortcuts across six professional engineering tools — SolidWorks, AutoCAD, ANSYS, MATLAB, Revit, and KiCad — so you don't have to hunt through six different vendor help pages to remember one command.
Most practicing engineers don't use just one piece of software. A mechanical engineer might model in SolidWorks, simulate in ANSYS, and script post-processing in MATLAB in the same afternoon. Muscle memory for one tool's shortcuts doesn't transfer to another, so having a single quick-reference across tools saves real time switching contexts.
Every tool on this list allows keyboard shortcuts to be remapped. AutoCAD and Revit both support editable command-alias (PGP/keyboard shortcut) files that many firms customize to match internal standards, and SolidWorks, MATLAB, and KiCad all expose a keyboard shortcut editor in their preferences. The shortcuts listed here are the out-of-the-box defaults for recent versions — always check Help > Keyboard Shortcuts (or your firm's customized keymap) if a shortcut does not behave as expected.
Mostly, but not guaranteed. Default keymaps are generally stable across recent versions (the last several releases of each product), but vendors occasionally change a default, and any shortcut can be remapped by a user or firm-wide template. If a shortcut listed here does not work, check the software's own Keyboard Shortcuts settings panel.
Both tools use a command-alias system: typing a short letter sequence (like L for Line in AutoCAD, or VG for Visibility/Graphics in Revit) and pressing Enter invokes the full command, rather than using a modifier-key combination. This lets each product support hundreds of distinct commands without running out of practical Ctrl/Alt/Shift combinations.
No — ANSYS Workbench and Mechanical are primarily menu and ribbon-driven applications, and far fewer operations have dedicated keyboard shortcuts compared to SolidWorks or AutoCAD. The shortcuts listed here (Solve, Fit View, Select All) are among the few that are both standardized and commonly used.