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This course
provides an introduction to the use of IntelliCAD and
AutoCAD software to produce CAD (Computer Aided
Design) drawings involving electrical schematics. CAD is widely used in the building and
construction industry, and the course provides an overview of the CAD process - from
sketch design to finished drawing and stays at the 'big
picture' level. We do not go into
excessive detail about the way individual CAD commands are used, but still provide
you with enough
instruction to
enable you to produce simple drawings in your discipline.
No prior knowledge is assumed, other than the ability to operate a
computer.
It is suitable as a first step for those who are contemplating making a career out
of drafting and want to get a feel for CAD. It is in our view,
important to do this before committing to a major block of time
learning to use CAD software which is inherently complex. The
course is also suited for those who need to manage projects which
involve the use of Computer Aided Design.
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Preliminaries |
Operating systems and CAD workstations - Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP and XP Pro. Setting
screen resolution. The value of using dual monitors in your CAD computer.
Selecting the correct pointing device mice and digitizers. Creating
the correct environment for CAD by configuring your CAD software.
Setting the time interval for automatic backup. Installing CAD
software. Protecting the unlock codes for your CAD software. Tuning and maintaining your
CAD workstation. Making a suitable folder structure &
filing system for CAD drawings. Starting a dialogue with your
on-line CAD
tutor. Starting your CAD program. Placing some simple entities
such as lines and arc
entities
into the drawing editor. Dealing with 'pesky' entity grips. |
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The
CAD process
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A detailed look at
some CAD drawings from the electrical discipline.
Again emphasizing the importance of a grid. Comparing AutoCAD to IntelliCAD. Drafting on paper vs.
drafting using CAD software? Some advice on how to learn CAD
software. How to handle scale in CAD drawings.
An example of the use of the AutoLISP programming language to speed
the drafting process - automating CAD. Some comments of data
extraction and generating bills of materials. The importance of the command
area and recognizing that unlike the Office suite of
applications,
AutoCAD and IntelliCAD are command driven programs. The advantages
of a 'command driven' CAD program? Setting up AutoCAD and
IntelliCAD and adjusting the preferences. Creating an
'intelligent' desktop shortcut to start the program.
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CAD Interface |
A detailed look at the
CAD interface, including title bar, standard and formatting
toolbars, the command area, the status line etc. Learning to
float and dock toolbars. The ZOOM command. Layer control. The text screen
window. Saving files. File formats. Learning the underlying command sequence
in IntelliCAD/AutoCAD, selecting
commands. Creating your own logo. 3D visualization techniques. |
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Viewing
Drawings
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Controlling your view of a CAD
drawing. The use of ZOOM, PAN, HIDE, VPOINT,
REGEN and REDRAW commands. Picking commands from
toolbar icons - the ZOOM Extents sequence. Getting
help in IntelliCAD and AutoCAD. The importance of
recognizing the underlying sequence in all AutoCAD/IntelliCAD
commands. The value of a proper printed manual. Moving between Paper space and model
space. The importance of the UCSICON command. The TILEMODE command.
Building a list of shortcuts for individual commands.
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Precise
Geometry
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Experimenting with
some of the more esoteric drawing commands in AutoCAD and
IntelliCAD. Compound lines with the POLYLINE command, the
SPLINE command, the RAY command, the ELLIPSE
command, the POLYGON command, the POINT command.
The ERASE command. Setting up a 400mm GRID.
Building a design for a courtyard by snapping to grid points to
demonstrated that drawing with precision can be a simple
process. The COPY command - using the multiple option.
Using some simple editing commands - ERASE, TRIM,
EXTEND. Using CAD to create a very simple design - we will
take a design for a rose garden as a simple example. The
CIRCLE and OFFSET commands. Using the entity snap
functions - calling the Endpoint, Centre, PERpendicular,
Quadrant options from the command line. The value of setting
up and using a template drawing. Using the DISTANCE
command. The RECTANGLE command. The ROTATE
command. The DTEXT command with a hand lettered font.
Creating a title block
sheet drawing using Cartesian coordinates. We emphasize the importance of
working to a
defined drafting standard using AS1100 - Australian Standard
1100 for technical drafting - as an example. Setting LIMITS, using the
SNAP and GRID commands.
Creating a block library and saving drawings sheets to it.
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Using
Blocks
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Creating and inserting a logo
and schedule in a block library. Using block library symbols,
inserting blocks into a drawing sheet. Using object/entity snaps.
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Layers
and Colours |
Using the LAYER command. Creating
new layers, assigning layer colours and linetypes. Accurate
geometry by length, angle, OFFSET, FILLET and TRIM. Placing entities
on layers, inserting a north indicator, controlling colour BYLAYER and by colour entity.
Blocks, layers and colour. |
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Manipulating
Text |
Placing text. Using drawing aids to align
text. Using the STYLE command. Style names and fonts. The
DTEXT, TEXT and MTEXT commands. Controlling text
justification, text height, inserting
text in title blocks, single line text, paragraph text, using
grid and snap. |
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Plotting |
The PRINT command.
Inserting a drawing sheet around your design. Controlling pen
weights in drawings - using the Rotring system. Setting colours,
adjusting pens and line thickness. Previewing plots, plot
configuration parameter files. Using paper space and model
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In many different disciplines, the advent of CAD has radically changed
the
way professionals work.
Most project managers now expect that any drawings describing
design work will be
created using some type of CAD software. They also assume that the work
will be delivered in both printed and electronic format. In most
professions, design work on paper drawings alone is no longer
acceptable.
This change in attitude has major implications for many
of us. If you are working, or intend to work, in the Architecture, Engineering or
Construction industry, you need to be able to produce CAD drawings if
required.
 In no way do we suggest that
designing with pencil and paper be outlawed. In many cases, 'doodling'
on butter paper gets the creative thoughts flowing. But for detailed
construction drawings, nothing beats CAD!
We
thought that you might like to see
CAD in action and so have
made a short movie which will play on your computer screen and show CAD
at work. Click on the link below and click Run to download the file. You do not have to
do anything while the movie plays; just watch the screen and listen to
the commentary. There is no need to move or operate
your
mouse while the movie plays.
 To hear the
sound which accompanies the movie, make sure that you have your speakers connected and turned on.
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Click here to play a movie
which shows CAD in action. The file is 1.1Mb in size, so will not take
long to download if you have broadband Internet access. |
We would prefer that you have a
'live' copy of AutoCAD or IntelliCAD on you computer in order to send
examples of your work to us. However if you do not own a copy of the
software, you can download a free copy of IntelliCAD from
http://www.siacad.com. This version
will not allow you to save your drawings.
Our system has been
thoroughly tested and used to train many CAD drafters; you will certainly learn to
'CAD' in your discipline, be it mechanical, architectural,
instrumentation, chemical engineering, surveying, landscape architecture,
interior design etc. We are confident of this, because we have developed a unique method
of teaching in which we provide detailed instruction then play 'on screen' movies
to illustrate the concept and finally encourage you to follow a detailed
step by step set of instructions to complete the very same exercise. This provides an
effective way of illustrating CAD concepts.
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An
understanding of basic computer operation,
including being able to create, save and locate
files.
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Although we
assume no prior knowledge of CAD, we presume
that you have had some experience with hand
drafting or have learned to read technical
drawings for your discipline.
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You need a copy of
CAD software - IntelliCAD, AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT loaded onto your computer. Alternatively, download and install
a (free)
trial copy of IntelliCAD from the Internet.
Please visit
http://www.siacad.com to do this. This software can be use to learn CAD. The file is large (some 17 Mb
in size), so allow some time for the download.
If you would like to know where this
particular course fits in
terms of a 'proper' professional CAD learning program, click
here.
The Electrical CAD 1 course is a full day course
and runs on demand. It is a group or one-on-one course although
we will take several students at a time if you come from
the same company (and discipline). We do not publish a
schedule of course dates and simply book you in at a
convenient time. If you wish to enrol for an
in-house course,
please send an email
to
info@designcad.com.au and we will reply with some
possible dates.
The cost
of the course for in-house training is $A750.00 per
day and includes GST. We can take up to three students
in our design studio at that price.
We
will invoice you after the day and encourage payment by direct deposit to our bank. The
details of our account will be on the invoice which we
will provide after the course has been delivered. If you
cannot attend after booking a course, there is no
penalty, we will simply re-schedule.
If you wish to pay by credit card, you
can do so via
PayPal, an organization which takes all credit cards
using a secure Internet facility. PayPal is a partner
within the eBay system. We have chosen PayPal because it
is independent of us, allows us to hold money in trust
until we have delivered the course and is now
operational in Australia.
This course can be taken by distance learning using Cd-ROM at a
considerable discount - $A285.00.
We ship a printed workbook and CD-ROM
containing a large collection of these instructional
movies. Together they enable you to learn to use the
software. We provide email support while you
work though the course.
Here is a link to
background material on the way our distance courses
work.
If your company or
organization is paying for the course, all we need is a
purchase order and an address to send the course
materials. If you are taking the course as a private
student, we want you to pay in advance and encourage payment via
PayPal, an
organization which takes all credit cards using a secure
Internet facility. PayPal is a partner within the eBay
system. We have chosen PayPal because it is independent
of us, allows us to hold money in trust until we have
delivered the course and is now operational in
Australia.
This course can also be taken by broadband learning at an
even
lower cost -A$250.00. Click
here to visit our
broadband learning site.
When taken in-house, Electrical CAD
1 normally runs over a full day session.
When taken
externally, experience has shown us that students take
significantly longer to complete the course, primarily
because they are able to break up their learning into
small 'chunks' as time permits. AutoCAD and IntelliCAD
are large
programs - please allow plenty of time to work through
our materials. We would estimate that you have 40-50
hours of work in front of you!
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