Creating a complex 3d shape using Autocad’s 3d revolve tool is a very easy process and has many useful applications in practical design. We show you how in our Autocad 3d courses. 
The first step is to create a 2d profile of the face you want to revolve: make sure that Ortho is on (F8). Then select the Polyline tool (PL) to draw the shape, as in the example shown here.
Then we need to establish an axis of rotation, ie. draw a line for the profile to revolve around. The final step is to go the the 3D Make panel and choose the Revolve tool. Then simply follow the instructions in the bottom Command line: select the face you wish to revolve, then click on the axis of rotation. Finally punch in the degrees of rotation – this is usually 360, but you could also use 180 or 270 for a sectioned piece.
Note that sometimes when rotating an object using 3d Rotate the document grid will change its axis. To return a grid to the X-Y plane just type UCS (for User Coordinate System) then W (for World) > Enter.
In the example above we used a simple geometric shape, but you can also fillet corners or use the Spline tool to create more organic profiles. The resultant shape can now be viewed from various angles, dimensions added and elevations printed off from Paper Space.
The 3d interface in Autocad is user-friendly and easy to learn, and we take time to teach a broad range of applications in our classes including modeling, materials, lighting and animation. See many examples of our clients’ work on our Facebook page. For more information there are lots of resources on the web, but try the Autodesk site to begin with: www.autodesk.com. Support options and user forums are also available from the home page.
Other related Autocad 3d Blog Posts:

• Autocad 3d introduction
• Autocad 3d modeling
• Autocad 3d blocks
• Autocad 3d commands
• Autocad 3d basics