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When it comes to precision drawing, no software comes close to AutoCAD. This isn’t software only for architects or engineers - it is also a playground for anyone with a creative touch or someone who wants to sketch something as classic as a horse chess piece.

The horse chess piece has a unique shape. Horses have always been a challenge for artists in the past, whether we are talking about painting or sketching. Why? Well, their bone and muscle structure is unique, and it is quite hard to nail the perfect design.

Fortunately, with software like AutoCAD, you can cut corners and let modern technology do the heavy lifting. On top of that, the software gives you plenty of options whether it is 2D or even 3D designs.

So, whether you are just a chess fan, someone who loves horse graphics, or a horse racing fan designing your own chess piece is a great way to start drawing horses in AutoCAD that look as they could be competing in horse races bets.

The question is, is it easy to draw a horse chess piece in AutoCAD? Well, it requires a little more than a basic level of AutoCAD knowledge, but we will guide you through the process.

Workspace Basics

First, open the AutoCAD software (any recent versions will do 2023-2025). Create a new drawing, set units to millimeters for precision (type UNITS and pick “Decimal”), and zoom into a comfy workspace with Z then E for extents.

Your first job is to draw a 2D design. Don’t jump in with 3D first since it can be very difficult. Toggle to the “Drafting & Annotation” workspace via the top-right gear icon. Grid (F7) and snap (F9) help keep lines tidy, but if you are bold, you can always try freehand.

After all, this is your board, and you can set it in any way you like.

Sketch the Base

Every horse chess piece starts with a tall base, and we are going to design it from the bottom up. Kick off with a circle - type CIRCLE, set the center at 0,0 with a 20mm radius. This is the ground disk of your piece.

Next, offset it inward by 2mm (OFFSET, enter 2) for a stepped edge, just to look more like a luxury chess piece. Now it is time for the outer ring (HATCH, pick “Solid”) just to mark it as a solid later. It’s simple, but it’s the base that every horse chess piece needs.

You can tweak it the way you like, but 15mm works quite well for a horse chess piece.

Outline the Body

Okay, it’s time to do the hard bit and get the outline of the horse. Start at the base’s edge - type LINE, click 20,0, and draw straight up to 20,50 for the back leg’s height.

Now it is time to arc the spine, and for this, you can use ARC (start at 20,50, midpoint at 30, 45, and end at 40,40). This will mimic the horse’s gentle curve. 

Now for the neck, draw a line from 40,40 to 50,60, then arc again (start 50,60, midpoint 55,65, and end 60,60). Lastly, close it with a line down to 60,20, and block to 20,20. 

At this point, it should look like a blocky silhouette, but the shape is coming to life, don’t worry.

Now, let’s rough out the horse. Start at the base’s edge—type LINE, click 20,0, and draw straight up to 20,50 for the back leg’s height. 

Shape the Head

The head’s where the knight shines. From 60,60, draw a short line to 65,62 for the snout’s base, then a tight arc (start 65,62, midpoint 66,63, end 67,62) for the nose. Angle back with a line to 63,58 for the jaw and connect to 60,60. 

For ears, a quick triangle—line from 60,60 to 62,65, then to 61,62—adds perkiness. It’s rough, but TRIM and FILLET (radius 2-3mm) smooth those edges later. You’re not carving stone; you’re sketching a steed.

Refine the Lines

Time to polish. Use JOIN to merge your lines into a polyline—select all, hit J, and watch it snap together. Smooth the transitions with FILLET—set a 5mm radius for the neck’s curve, 2mm for the head. 

If it’s jagged, SPLINE traces over it: pick key points (back, neck, snout), and AutoCAD flows a sleek curve. Offset the body inward by 1mm for thickness later, and mirror half if you started lopsided (MIRROR, vertical axis at x=40). It’s starting to look like a knight, not a doodle.

Go 3D: From Flat to Form

Flat’s fine, but 3D’s the goal. Extrude the base (EXTRUDE, height 5mm) for a solid disc—use SUBTRACT to carve out that 2mm offset ring if you hatched it. 

For the horse, extrude the outer polyline 10mm, then the inner one 8mm, and subtract the smaller from the larger (SUBTRACT) for a hollowed, sturdy knight. 

Revolve the head’s profile (REVOLVE, 360° around a snout-to-neck axis) if you want finesse, though extruding works too. Toggle to “3D Modeling” workspace, and RENDER previews your piece—tweak with MOVE or ROTATE till it stands proud.

Finishing Touches

Details seal the deal. Add a mane with thin SPLINE curves along the neck, extrude them 1mm for texture. Eyes? 

A tiny circle (1mm radius) at 62,61, pressed in with PRESSPULL (-0.5mm). Color it—MATERIAL lets you slap on a wood grain or glossy black. View it in “Realistic” mode (VIEW, Realistic), and spin it with ORBIT. It’s your knight—make it pop.

So, did you manage to do it? It is hard, but if you know a thing or two about AutoCAD, you’ll be able to nail it right away.