AutoCAD is one of the world’s most well-known and widely used Computer Aided Design Programs and drafting software, also known as CAD programs. Getting to know how to use AutoCAD is a difficult place to start because of the wide variety of courses available to you with varying degrees of difficulty. With the rapidly expanding universe of technology and the increase in remote work opportunities working and studying from home is more popular than ever. In this article you will be guided on what AutoCAD is, how you can start your AutoCAD journey and what online courses you should look out for and start with.
What is AutoCAD?
As mentioned previously, AutoCAD is a CAD program used globally in many professional industries. AutoCAD is marketed and developed by Autodesk. It was first released in 1982 as a software application that ran on microcomputers that had internal graphics controllers. AutoCAD is used in so many different industries around the world. From Architects to Engineers, Project Managers, Graphic Designers and many other professions. With so many uses for AutoCAD it can be difficult to know how to start learning or how you would like to use it for yourself or in an industry you are interested in.
AutoCAD Online Courses
With AutoCAD having such a wide variety of uses, it is vital to get a solid base of knowledge at the beginning of your AutoCAD journey. Having worked with AutoCAD for many years and being exposed to a variety of different online courses. The perfect AutoCAD beginners course on offer at the moment is CADLab’s “Practical AutoCAD Online Courses”. This course offers great in-depth details about AutoCAD’s user interface (UI) and how to navigate it and also walks you through all the basic features of AutoCAD and how to use them. This course is over 2 days, and in that time, you will have mastered the basics of AutoCAD. You can purchase this course on their website and get further information.
The course itself will teach you the following:
- AutoCAD screen operations and initial settings
- Create objects (line segments, circles, arcs, polylines, rectangles, centerlines, etc.)
- Select objects (basic, quick selection, similar selection)
- Using drawing aids (grid and snap, object snap tracking, etc.)
- Editing objects (move, offset, rotate, trim, fillet, stretch, etc.)
- Layers and properties (layer settings, object properties)
- Reusing content (shapes) (block definition, placement, editing, attribute definition)
- Annotative text (text entry, multi-text, editing, styling)
- Annotative dimensions (fills, multileader, edit, style settings)
- Annotative hatches (create, edit)
- Layout usage (page setup, create viewport, control panel)
- Annotative scaling (settings)
- Drawing comparison functions
- Templates (create drawing templates)
- Data management and utilization (external referencing, linking DWG files)
Once you have completed this beginner’s course in AutoCAD you can now move onto more advanced courses, or even start working in one of the aforementioned fields of work. Yes, you can begin working at an Engineering firm or Architectural company with online courses in AutoCAD.
If you are looking to elaborate on your knowledge of AutoCAD, building yourself a portfolio of sketches and drawings to be able to show off to potential employers as well as taking more advanced courses is a great way to do this. Knowing which advanced or progressive courses to do is difficult but there are a few ways to identify which courses suit your interests and skill level.
When you begin your search online for more advanced courses, don’t just choose the first course you see, this will end up with you more than likely wasting your money. You will either end up purchasing or following a course that is well above your capabilities on the program or you will be following a course that covers subjects/part of the program you are already aware of. You will need to start by searching online for course work that is continuous. In other words, look for companies or websites who are setting up a series of courses or seminars that can take you from AutoCAD’s basics, all the way up to the advanced level.
In order to identify if a company is offering this, look at their website and try to understand if they are offering a full range of courses, from beginners to advanced or mastering AutoCAD. Some websites may not be offering a full range of courses from beginning to advanced level but you will sometimes be able to see if the company is busy putting together or developing more courses in the near future. You will see this on their website’s main page because they will be advertising upcoming courses or they will stipulate that more advanced courses are currently being worked on.
AutoCAD Authorized Online Courses
Another note to be aware of is the label “Authorized Autodesk Training Centre”. This label needs to be applied for by companies who provide AutoCAD training. Companies go through a process of having Autodesk scrutinize and thoroughly review a company’s coursework in order to determine if it is of a high standard. Once they have reviewed the course outline and details and determined that it is sufficient for the students/clients to learn at a high level through the course, they give it their approval. This approval is very important to look out for when identifying courses because it is verified by the developers of AutoCAD themselves.
AutoCAD Course Reviews
Always look for reviews. Knowing what others have to say from their experiences of particular courses is incredibly important. This gives someone who is looking to start a course some perspective and confidence that the course they are considering starting is the right course for them.
The last thing you want is to start a course that is poorly laid out and explained, far too expensive for the type of experience you get because in the end you will be wasting your time and money.
AutoCAD Course Price Point
Doing your research in order to understand what AutoCAD is and is capable of doing is important because when you read what a course covers at least you will get an understanding of what you are paying for. When you are researching courses to choose you will be inundated with all kinds of words and jargon that you have never heard before. This is important because you do not want to be paying for a very expensive course purely because it is expensive.
There are so many courses available that you need to do research and compare in order to get the best product for your money. You will find that there are some courses that cover the exact same work but are more expensive than others. So, make sure that you are aware of what you are paying for.
AutoCAD Certification
Some courses provide you with a certificate of completion when you have finished their particular course. This is something important to look out for if you are looking to get certified proof that you completed courses with respect to AutoCAD.
These certifications can help you when you are applying to work because you can include these certificates as part of your CV or Resume. This will most certainly give you an advantage in the working environment during the interviewing process because it shows you are willing to put in extra work independently from your work life. Some courses that offer certification will be more expensive but if the certification is what you are after then paying that bit extra may be worth your while.
Conclusion
AutoCAD is a phenomenal CAD program that is popular in many professional industries. You can work in the Engineering field, Architectural, Design fields and so much more. When doing online courses for AutoCAD it is important to do your research and start from the beginners’ courses, even if you have had some experience with the program. Always remember to check for reviews of a course in order to know if it is worth your while and up to the correct standard. You never know what new tricks you may learn. You need to assess if it is certification, you are after because this will affect your price point when you are looking to purchase or join an online course.
