AutoCAD is a CAD (Computer Aided Design) program developed by Autodesk that has become a very popular design software in the engineering and architectural fields. AutoCAD has both 2D and 3D modelling tools, but is best known for its 2D applications. AutoCAD is a very industry-specific software and is not widely known to the general public.
You can learn to use the software for personal or even professional reasons. There are so many ways to learn about AutoCAD, but it can be difficult to know where to start.
Because AutoCAD is so complex, it is important to be aware and do your research to know where to start. That is why we are here to guide you on your AutoCAD journey and teach you how to get started.
Click here to learn AutoCAD with videos
How To Learn AutoCAD on Your Own?
There are so many ways to learn about AutoCAD, from reading textbooks, learning about it at a professional institute like Universities or Colleges to taking courses at your workplace or taking online courses or seminars.
As you can see there are so many different ways to approach learning about this sophisticated software and it’s all up to you about which approach you would like to take.
Depending on your career choice or experience you will choose to learn AutoCAD differently. If you are wanting to go to a university and study Engineering or Architecture you will be learning to use AutoCAD at university and will not need to take beginners course online or buy beginners textbooks to learn AutoCAD.
This is because you will learn the basics at university and may only need to learn the more advanced features of the software.
When you begin your journey into AutoCAD it is important to be aware of your current AutoCAD skill level as mentioned above. If you are brand new to AutoCAD and have never been exposed to it through university level or work, or if you’re a veteran and use it every day, you can always learn something new.
So, when you are looking to learn new things about the software it is important to be able to understand what the course outline is before you start. If you are not fully aware of what you are in for you can be wasting your time and money, which is never ideal.
Learning AutoCAD at Institutions (Universities/Colleges)
Learning AutoCAD through a university or college is a great way to get started with the software. You will often find AutoCAD courses/subjects at universities in their engineering or architecture departments and sometimes even in their design courses such as interior design or fashion design.
The reason for studying AutoCAD at university level is that the institute has already set up a course outline and structure to suit all newcomers to the programme.
If you are unsure of something during the lectures, you have classmates you can consult to try and understand the part of the software you are unsure of and learn from your peers. Even if your peers are unable to help you, you will have lecturers who have worked with AutoCAD for years to whom you can turn with your questions.
You will be exposed to a wide range of AutoCAD capabilities and have the opportunity to improve your AutoCAD skills independently of the university.
This is because universities will have engineering type IT centres or rooms where you can go and use the university computers that have AutoCAD available for you to use and learn from.
Even if you do not want to use these facilities, university students can get free access to AutoCAD by logging onto the Autodesk website, filling in the forms with your student details and Autodesk will give you free access to AutoCAD for a set period of time.
【2025】Key Limitations of Fusion Free 360 – A Part of Free AutoCAD Solutions
Learning AutoCAD at the Workplace
As mentioned above, AutoCAD is used in many professional industries. Often companies have access to AutoCAD and can give you access as an employee, even if your role in the company doesn’t require AutoCAD.
This will allow you to use AutoCAD and teach yourself, or take online courses and self-learn and develop your knowledge of the software.
If your company uses AutoCAD as one of its main CAD programs, you may be able to ask the company to send you on AutoCAD courses to help you better fulfil your role within the company. This will sometimes mean that the company will subsidise the course or even pay for it in full, depending on the company’s policy.
This is a great way to learn AutoCAD at a good level and add it to your CV or resume, depending on whether the course you take is certified or not. Certification is discussed later in this article.
Textbooks For AutoCAD
Textbooks have and always will be a great tool in life and the same can be said for textbooks for AutoCAD. There are so many textbooks available for AutoCAD it can be difficult to choose.
So if you are in the market to buy a textbook to learn about the program you will need to be aware of what the book if offering. Some books will cover the full scope of AutoCAD and some will only cover the basics, or only the advanced features, etc.
If you haven’t yet looked up textbooks you can buy for AutoCAD you can find a list below:
- AutoCAD For Dummies – Ralph Grabowski
- Beginning AutoCAD 2022 Exercise Workbook: For Windows – Cheryl R. Shrock
- AutoCAD 2020 A Project-Based Tutorial: Floor Plans, Elevations, Printing, 3D Architectural Modelling – Books Tutorial
- Beginning AutoCAD 2023 Exercise Workbook: For Windows – Cheryl R. Shroc
- Mastering AutoCAD 2021 And AutoCAD Lt 2021 – Brian C. Benton
- AutoCAD 2018 and AutoCAD LT 2018 Essentials – Scott Onstott
All of these textbooks are of a high quality and can cater for a wide spectrum of AutoCAD skills. So whether you are new to AutoCAD or want to learn the advanced features of the program, these textbooks cover all aspects.
Click here to learn AutoCAD with videos
How Kids Can Learn AutoCAD?
Yes, AutoCAD may seem like a complicated piece of software to use, and not all children will use it in their higher education or careers. However, they can still be taught about 2D drawing and 3D modelling to expose them to these career paths and see what sparks their interest.
AutoCAD can be expensive for schools to invest in, especially if there aren’t a large number of students interested, but the best practice would be to introduce children to a freely available, easy-to-use 3D modelling programme.
It can be fun for children and introduce them to a new way of thinking and learning, as well as being a stepping stone to more sophisticated 2D and 3D software.
The next step would be to introduce children to some demos to show them how to use the keyboard commands and solve simple problems. Visual learning is great for kids, so providing them with video lessons created by teachers or using free online AutoCAD videos is fantastic.
When a teacher looks online, they will find pre-prepared quizzes and exercises for students to test their progress and understanding. This allows the teacher to track the progress of the students and set different challenges for different students based on their individual performance.
When trying to teach young teenagers, many of them may not be interested or engaged enough to master AutoCAD, especially if they are not interested in becoming an engineer or architect one day.
Therefore, it would be best to adapt the coursework to encourage the students and challenge those who have a higher level of interest and engagement.
Click here to learn AutoCAD with videos
How To Become an AutoCAD Professional?
Becoming an AutoCAD professional can be easy or hard depending on the route you choose and your personal skills and interest in AutoCAD. There are many routes that can lead to becoming an AutoCAD professional, but it is up to you.
Engineering and Architecture are the main areas where AutoCAD is used and there are different positions within each industry where AutoCAD is used.
In engineering, AutoCAD is used almost everywhere. Electrical, mechanical, chemical, drafting and design engineers all use AutoCAD. In electrical engineering, AutoCAD is used to draw single line diagrams to show the distribution of power throughout a building or system.
A single line diagram is a simple representation consisting of various types of lines and symbols that illustrate the nodes and connections within an electrical system.
In mechanical engineering, AutoCAD is used to draw piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs). Piping and instrumentation diagrams are 2D and graphically represent a system and its process, these drawings are not to scale.
P&IDs are rudimentary to every single standardised engineering project. These 2D flow diagrams act as a blueprint for an engineer’s system design.
In the architectural industry, AutoCAD is used to create floor plans and blueprints for commercial buildings and homes. AutoCAD has built-in tools to analyse and correct any weaknesses in a building design.
AutoCAD Architecture features include things like architectural renovations, door, wall and window design documentation.
You can also become an AutoCAD professional by learning AutoCAD on your own through various online courses and gaining certification that is recognised on a global scale.
This is a self-paced way of learning where you are tasked with finding courses in AutoCAD to support your learning experience.
How To Get Autodesk Certification For AutoCAD?
If you wish to become a certified AutoCAD user or professional you will be required to take and pass the required exams offered by Autodesk. To prepare for these exams you can do your own self studying and course work.
I would recommend looking for courses that specify that they are “Autodesk Authorized Training Centres” because these are courses that have been given the “stamp of approval” by Autodesk.
This means that these courses have had to go through a scrutinising process by Autodesk to ensure their course is of a high standard, easy to follow and worked through at a good pace, not too fast or too slow. An example of one of these courses is CADLab’s very own “Beginners AutoCAD Online Course”.
This course allows you to learn all the basics and give you a wonderful understanding of what AutoCAD is all about and will set you up for success on our AutoCAD journey. It teaches you how to navigate AutoCAD’s user interface (UI) and covers the basic features of AutoCAD. All this can be learned in just 2 days.
Getting AutoCAD certification is a great accolade to have to put on your CV or resume because it shows your new potential employer that you are willing to go out of your way to self-improve and get ahead of the competition in the job market.
Conclusion
AutoCAD is a fantastic CAD programme that covers both 2D drawings and 3D models. It is a very powerful tool to gain knowledge of and can give you an advantage in the workplace.
As it is used in the engineering and architectural industries, it is a very solid skill to know and progress with, and learning it can be vital for your job and for personal reasons.
There are so many ways to learn AutoCAD that it can be difficult to know where to start. Especially if you already have some experience of it through your studies or work, but you can bet there is always something new you can learn.
Whether you choose to learn from textbooks, attend face-to-face lectures at an institute or learn AutoCAD online, the options are endless. It is now up to you to apply this knowledge to your situation and continue your AutoCAD learning.
