What is the purpose of "PLOTTING" in AutoCAD?

The purpose of "PLOTTING" in AutoCAD is to create a physical printout or PDF of your drawing. This process is essential for sharing designs, presenting them to clients or stakeholders, and producing hard copies for documentation and review. When you plot in AutoCAD, you can set various parameters such as the plot area, scale, paper size, and quality, allowing for precise control over how the drawing is rendered on paper or in a digital format. This capability is crucial in architecture, engineering, and design fields, where physical representations of drawings are often required for further work or compliance with standards.

The other options focus on different functions within AutoCAD. Exporting as a 3D model pertains to creating a digital representation for use in other software or applications, erasing elements involves modifying the drawing's content, and adding dimensions relates to annotating the drawing for clarity and measurement purposes. Each of these processes serves distinct functions that are different from the primary goal of plotting.