What is the difference between a line and a polyline in AutoCAD?

Answer 1

In AutoCAD, a line is a basic geometric element that consists of two points and extends infinitely in both directions. A polyline, on the other hand, is a series of connected line segments or arcs that form a single continuous object. Polylines are versatile as they can have width, different line types, and can be easily edited as a single entity, whereas lines are individual entities with limited editing capabilities.

Answer 2

A line is a straight distance between two points.

Poly comes from the Greek word meaning many.

Hence polyline means many lines.

In AutoCAD : ( Its a little different a polylines can be a single line )

A line is not editable until its been converted into a polyline.

Lines joined together will not form a closed loop untill they are joined.

Lines will not join unless they are converted to polylines.

A polyline can be a straight or an arced distance between two or more points.

Polylines are editable they can be joined together to create closed loops.

Polylines can be converted into splines and back again.

The difference between using a line and a polyline in AutoCAD is that it is likely that at some point you will be converting that line into a polyline although it depends completely on what your doing.