CAD Design Course

Lesson 1 • Navigating the CAD Workspace

Covers the main interface components: menus, toolbars, command line, and viewport. Students gain fluency in workspace navigation essential for all drawing tasks.

Lesson 2 • Coordinate Systems and Input Methods

Introduces Cartesian and polar coordinate systems and direct input techniques. Accurate coordinate entry is the foundation of precise CAD geometry.

Lesson 3 • What CAD Is and Why It Matters

Defines CAD, its role in engineering and design workflows, and key industry applications. Establishes context for all subsequent technical skills.

Lesson 1 • Layers, Colors, and Linetypes

Explains layer creation, properties, and organization for managing drawing complexity. Proper layer use is standard practice in professional technical drawings.

Lesson 2 • Object Selection and Grouping

Covers selection methods including window, crossing, fence, and filter-based selection. Efficient selection accelerates editing and reduces errors in complex drawings.

Lesson 3 • Essential Editing and Modification Tools

Teaches move, copy, rotate, scale, mirror, and offset commands. Editing tools allow efficient revision and refinement of drawn geometry.

Lesson 4 • Drawing Basic Geometric Shapes

Covers lines, circles, arcs, rectangles, and polygons using precise input methods. These primitives form the building blocks of all 2D technical drawings.

Lesson 1 • Adding Text and Callouts

Covers single-line text, multiline text, leaders, and callout annotations. Text and callouts communicate notes, specifications, and part identifiers.

Lesson 2 • Dimension Styles and Formatting

Explains creating and modifying dimension styles to control appearance and scale. Consistent styles ensure drawings look professional across all sheets.

Lesson 3 • Dimensioning Principles and Standards

Covers dimensioning rules, placement conventions, and industry drafting standards. Correct dimensioning ensures drawings are unambiguous and manufacturable.

Lesson 4 • Applying Linear and Angular Dimensions

Teaches linear, aligned, angular, radius, and diameter dimension commands. Students annotate geometry accurately to convey size and position.

Lesson 1 • External References and Xrefs

Explains attaching, overlaying, and managing external reference files in drawings. Xrefs support multi-user workflows and keep drawings linked to source files.

Lesson 2 • Creating and Inserting Blocks

Covers block definition, base point selection, and insertion into drawings. Blocks reduce repetitive drawing and enforce component consistency.

Lesson 3 • Block Attributes and Data Extraction

Teaches attaching editable attributes to blocks and extracting data to tables. Attributes enable automated parts lists and bill-of-materials generation.

Lesson 1 • Model Space vs. Paper Space

Clarifies the distinction between model space and paper space and when to use each. Understanding this separation is critical for correct scale and annotation.

Lesson 2 • Title Blocks and Drawing Borders

Teaches inserting and populating title blocks with project and revision data. Title blocks provide essential identification information on every drawing sheet.

Lesson 3 • Sheet Sets and Drawing Management

Introduces sheet set manager for organizing, numbering, and publishing multi-sheet projects. Sheet sets streamline large project delivery and revision management.

Lesson 4 • Creating and Configuring Viewports

Covers creating, scaling, and locking viewports within layout tabs. Viewports control how model geometry is displayed and scaled on printed sheets.

Lesson 1 • 3D Workspace and Navigation

Covers the 3D modeling workspace, ViewCube, orbit tools, and visual styles. Comfortable 3D navigation is prerequisite to all solid modeling tasks.

Lesson 2 • Creating Basic 3D Primitives

Teaches box, cylinder, sphere, cone, wedge, and torus solid primitives. Primitives are the starting point for constructing complex 3D models.

Lesson 3 • Coordinate Systems in 3D

Explains the World Coordinate System and User Coordinate System for 3D work. Mastering UCS placement enables accurate geometry creation on any plane.

Lesson 4 • Boolean Operations on Solids

Introduces union, subtract, and intersect Boolean operations for combining solids. Boolean logic is the core method for building complex 3D geometry from primitives.

Lesson 1 • Mesh Modeling and Conversion

Explains mesh object creation, smoothing, and conversion to solids or surfaces. Mesh modeling supports freeform shapes not achievable with standard solid tools.

Lesson 2 • Solid Editing Tools

Covers fillet edge, chamfer edge, shell, press-pull, and taper face operations. These tools refine solid geometry to meet detailed design specifications.

Lesson 3 • Parametric Constraints in 3D

Teaches applying geometric and dimensional constraints to 3D sketches and models. Parametric constraints enable design intent to drive model updates automatically.

Lesson 4 • 3D Arrays and Patterns

Covers rectangular, polar, and path arrays applied to 3D objects. Arrays efficiently replicate features and components across complex assemblies.

Lesson 1 • Quality Control and Drawing Audits

Teaches audit, purge, and drawing cleanup commands to maintain file integrity. Clean, error-free files reduce downstream problems in fabrication and collaboration.

Lesson 2 • Industry Drawing Standards

Covers orthographic projection, view arrangement, and drawing standard conventions. Adherence to standards ensures drawings are universally readable by engineers and fabricators.

Lesson 3 • Capstone Project Workflow

Guides students through a complete project from brief to final deliverable package. Integrates all core skills into a single professional-quality drawing set.

Lesson 4 • Revision Management and Change Control

Explains revision clouds, revision tables, and change documentation practices. Systematic revision tracking maintains drawing accuracy throughout a project lifecycle.